The Witches of Forks
by NellyBear85
Summary: Just in time for Halloween, not my best. Esme & her 3 daughters live in a small town and are very happy. Bella foresees something coming to her family, or someone, for each of them. The ladies are unaware and unprepared for what is coming for thier famiy
1. Readings

Chapter 1 – Readings

My life was simple, but happy. I lived with my two sisters and mother in the small town of Forks. It's a small town, practically at the edge of the world. We lived under the constant cloud of the Olympic Peninsula. Our house was on the edge of town, away from prying eyes of the simple minded-townsfolk. I can't wait to move out of this place. I wanted to live in the bright lights of the city, were everything is busy, instead of the dreary quiet life we led here.

My mom found my sisters and in very different places. I was in an orphanage in Seattle when she found me eight years ago. She found my older sister was in New York eleven years ago and my younger sister was found in the south seven years ago. Our mother selected the three of us because there was something special, and needless to say, powerful within us.

There was a knock on the door, "Bella, dear, it's time to come out. You've been in there all morning," my mother called. I smiled and got out of my bath, "Alright." I wrapped my towel around myself and went out to my room. "Finally," my big sister sang, "I thought you'd drown." I laughed as I tightened my hold on the towel, "Sorry, Rose, no such luck."

She laughed and tussled my wet hair, "Get ready, we're going to be late." I went down the hall to my bedroom, "Bella?" I looked back to my younger sister, "Yes, Alice?" She danced into the hall, "Can I burrow your black knee boots?" I nodded, "You tell me." She knew she could see the answer.

She closed her eyes for a moment, "Yes, I can. Thanks." My eyes rolled as she followed me to my room and flew into my closet, taking my boots. Alice was beaming as she headed for the door. I looked to the bedroom door, closing it before she left, "If I don't have them back by the end of the day, you're in trouble." Alice looked at the door, opening it, breaking my hold, "Don't worry. Besides, you know where I live."

We laughed and she left the room. I loved my sister but she loved burrowing my clothes more. I quickly dressed and went downstairs, where our mother greeted us, "Good morning, girls." Each of us smiled, "Good morning, Esme."

Esme was reading her newspaper, "Bella, Alice, you know I don't like you two fighting." I sighed while pouring my cereal, "We weren't fighting. We were just settling an agreement, that's all." She eyed me over the paper, "Are you sure?" I smiled at her, "Positive." Looking across the table, then over my shoulder, I realize I forgotten the milk on the counter. Holding my gaze, the milk came over to me.

Esme glanced at her watch, "Hurry up, girls. You're going to be late." "Ok," Rosalie said with a full mouth, "let's go." I shook my head, "Rose, do you want to choke on that muffin." She scowled at me, "Move it, middle child." Alice chirped a laugh as she quickly kissed Esme's cheek. Outside, Alice was already in the backseat of Rosalie's BMW.

The three of us were well known in our town, but not in an entirely good manner. There were rumors floating about town regarding our family. The townsfolk distanced themselves from us. In a town this small, keeping secrets were difficult to keep. As we pulled into the parking lot of our school, we received the natural reception; some students avoided us, while a few smiled at us.

At school, the student body, except for a select few who braved the rumors to befriend us, generally avoided my sisters and me. Those friends we looked after, though they didn't know it. "See you two later," Rosalie called behind herself. In my first class, we had substitute teacher, so I focused on my own work. Lately, I was having a recurring dream that I couldn't let go of. I never ignored my dreams, because they symbolized things to come.

When I was in the orphanage, I dreamt of a woman with hair like dulled fire and a young girl with hair of sunlight. The dream played repeatedly and it soon became my fantasy. A redhead woman and blond girl were coming. While sitting in my math lesson, their picture took over my mind. Looking out the glass panel in the wall, I saw Esme speaking with Mr. Andrews, the orphanage director. Standing next to her was a blond girl peering into the classroom. Her blue eyes met mine and she smiled at me. Forgetting my class, I smiled at her and she waved wildly. Esme brushed the blond girl's head and looked at me. They were the ones I was dreaming of. In two short weeks, I was Isabella Marie Swan Platt.

A year after I was adopted, I had a dream of a girl with ebony hair, with the gift of sight joining our family. In the dream, she was alone in a rural town. The girl's town had burned down and she was crying. Esme did some research and found out about a town in Tennessee that suffered from a large fire. The three of us traveled there and found Alice. When I approached her, she was crying because she had lost her family in the fire.

She sniffed, "Hello, Bella," she said my name confidently as I moved over to her. She looked up at me with red, tear stained eyes. I smiled, "Hi, Alice." She blinked, making two tears stream down her face, "Where are Esme and Rosalie?" Esme walked over to us, "You truly are gifted, my dear. Would you like to join our family?" Alice unleashed her heartbreakingly sweet smile, "You want to be my mom?" Esme nodded, "And you'll have two sisters." Rosalie and I smiled as Esme hugged Alice. She became Mary Alice Brandon Platt.

In class, I was wrapped up in my dreams, when I overheard the murmuring, "She's so weird. Her and her sisters. They live in the woods outside of town and their mom used to live here. My mom told me she was the same way." My eyes cut to the harsh-tongued Lauren Mallory. She was one of the worse ones towards me and my sisters. I focused my eyes on her hand, "Ouch!" she yelped. I stifled my giggle.

Though she was relatively correct about me, I didn't like people talking about Esme. No one knows how kind-hearted she truly is. Esme has nurtures us in ways our birth parents didn't, in ways they couldn't. Our family was different and strange; we were witches.

Esme realized that she was a witch when she was thirteen years old. She had the gift of control. When she concentrated her gaze, Esme was able to get what ever she wanted. Each of us had our own gifts, apart from the general abilities. Alice had the gift of seeing. When she was alone in her hometown, she saw us coming. She was already excited when we arrived.

Rosalie has the gift of creation. She told us that when she was five years old, her parents didn't get her the doll she actually wanted for her birthday. Rosalie wished for the actual doll and the one she had received was somehow changed into the doll she wanted.

As for me, I had the gift of knowing. That's why I didn't ignore my dreams. My dreams were a gateway, in a sense, showing me things that are coming or going to happen. I began keeping a journal of my dreams since Esme adopted me.

In this recent dream, I was in the arms of someone but I couldn't see his face. His skin was pale and the man had a crest on his wrist. The crest I remembered perfectly; it was silver, with a hand on the top, a lion in the middle, with three shamrocks on the bottom, shaping a downward arrow. After doing some research, I learned that each symbol meant something. The hand stood for faith, sincerity and justice. The lion stood for fierce courage and the shamrock represented perpetuity and longevity.

In the dream, I saw the face of the man that was holding me, but I couldn't remember it when I woke up. During class, I drew out the picture that stayed with me. It was me looking up at his face, with his arm was around my back, wearing the crest on a wristband. First, I drew his body and arm, leaving the face blank. For as long as I could remember, I've never had incomplete dreams and this disturbed me.

Between classes, I saw my sisters walking to their classes. Rosalie brushed past some members of the baseball team. They eyed her as she walked by. One of them dared to touch her and she swiftly turned and smacked his face. "Put your hands on me one more time and I will beat you with your own bat." My eyes narrowed at the rude student, marking him for later. No one touched my sister. _Don't bother, B_, Rosalie spoke to me, _I already got him_. I arched an eyebrow, _You sure? _

_Yes_, she answered. After school, Rosalie, Alice and I drove to the outskirts of town where we lived in a large house. Not before leaving the parking lot, the three of us caught the eye of the rude teammate. He was smiling and laughing until he saw us looking at him. His smile disappeared as he watched our collective glare. He swallowed hard as Rosalie slowly pulled away. "Now, he'll think there's something wrong with him," Alice announced. "Ah, the power of suggestion." Rosalie laughed as she drove.

Our house was an old Victorian, with white paneling. The porch went from the right side of the front door to along the right side and rear of the house. We had a lighthouse-like tower that was part of the attic. There were some narrow balconies outside each of our bedroom windows. On the left side of the house was our greenhouse and that looked out to the woods. Forks' legend said that witches once occupied this house and it was cursed. It was the perfect reason why we moved here. Power emanated from the land as it was once the home of a powerful witch. Gossips were once right. The witch laid her magic here, only for her own kind to drive power from. Esme added on a garage for our cars. Thick spurs stood around our house too keep peeping eyes out.

"Esme?" Alice called out. There was no answer. The house was empty. Alice quickly closed her eyes, "She's running late from work. She'll be here by 6." I sighed, dropping my book bag on the floor, "Fine. She should be here in time to make it to the field for the eclipse." Rosalie went into the parlor, "Ok, homework, then dinner." Alice and I looked at her in disbelief. She exhaled, "I'm not the boss, but I am the eldest. Let's get it done." The three of us sat at the center table and began our work. In school, we were all in the same grade. Rosalie didn't mind having her younger sisters in the same grade as her. We teased her for not excelling because she was blond.

After homework, the three of us prepared for our evening's event. Tonight was a lunar eclipse and we would watch it from a field near the mountains. I thought it was a coincidence that I had my dream the morning of the eclipse. An eclipse meant a perfect union and harmony. The last time there was an eclipse is when Esme found me. When I thought of the man in my dreams, I felt one with him.

"Bella?" Rosalie knocked on my door. I put away my drawings and journal, "Come in." "What's with you? Are you alright?" I smiled, "So insightful, Rose." She chuckled once, "Had a dream?" I nodded, "Yea. I'm just trying to figure it out." Alice poked her head in the room, "What was it about?" I grimaced, not sure if I should tell them about it. "Not now. I want to figure it out first. It's a little clouded and that's never happened before."

They looked at each other, "Hmmm, you want to talk to Esme about it?" Alice suggested. I shook my head, "No, it's nothing dire. I just have to complete it. I remember the majority of it, but the last picture was incomplete." Rosalie's eyes narrowed for a moment, "That's never happened before." "I know, but I have a feeling that the dream will come back to me."

We finished preparing for our evening; our candles, charts, telescope and charms. Esme was home right when Alice said she would be. Alice prepared a quick vegetable broth with rolls for dinner. No one wanted a heavy meal. "How was school?" Esme asked. Rosalie and Alice looked at each other and I avoided their looks. Esme sighed, "Was intimidating that boy necessary?" Rosalie's shoulders slumped, "He grabbed my backside, Mom!" Esme turned her head quickly, with fire blazing in her eyes, "Well, then I don't blame you."

After dinner, the four of us left for our field. We drove in the truck that belonged to Esme's late husband. The night blanketed the whole mountain range. Deer ran across our path. The bright headlights lit up our way top the field.

Alice and I laid out protective charms around our circle, so no one or nothing that is intended to harm us could reach us. Rosalie and Esme laid out the blankets and set up the telescope. "Just in time, it's about to start," Alice said looking up. Esme looked through the telescope, "Ok, Rose, Bella, begin reading." Rosalie and I took out our charts and began making out our family futures. Reading charts weren't difficult to us, as Esme made it part of our lessons as children.

"Huh, interesting," Rosalie read. "What?" Esme looked over her chart. "For you, Esme, I see a tiger and for Bella, a lion. And Alice, it's a fox and for me, a bear?" I looked up at her, "So, you see us at the zoo?" All of us laughed, except Rosalie. She glowered at me, "Don't laugh. What do you see?" I read my chart and my eyebrows furrowed, "Huh? Maybe I shouldn't have laughed."

Alice came over to me, "What do you see?" I looked up again, "The handle of the Big Dipper is pointing to the east. And my charts read something's coming and with the Big Dipper, it's coming from the east." I held out my hand, "Rose, let me see yours." Comparing our readings, "Ok, something is definitely coming, from the east and these animals represent them." "Them?" Esme asked speculatively. "Yes, them. It's nothing bad, like they're coming for us, to us. Like they're meant to find us."

We looked at each other; something was coming to our family. These charts didn't read if it was good or bad, but they came during an eclipse and after my dream. Perfect union and harmony; is that what's coming?


	2. Sweet Dreams

Chapter 2 – Sweet Dreams

None of us could shake the readings. Esme was very concerned. She didn't like the feeling of something looming over our family. Esme was a lion in herself. She would do anything to protect her daughters. "Don't worry, Esme. Bella and I will keep an eye out for anything," Alice tried to comfort her. The four of us were squeezed together on the couch in the living room.

Esme sighed, "I know. I just don't want anything bad coming for any of you." I leaned my head on her shoulder, "Esme, it's not coming _for_ us, it's coming _to_ us. And it could be something good." She smiled and pinched my cheek, "Maybe, but we'll be on our guard. For us or to us, we'll maintain our watch." All of us nodded in agreement. We sat in the living room together, rereading the charts. "Why a fox for me?" Alice asked, "Maybe whatever's coming to me is cunning like a fox?" she giggled. "Yes and Rose's getting a bear; 'as in strong as a.' And we all know she's sweet as honey," I teased. Rosalie threw a pillow at me, "Right and hopefully your lion will claw at you."

My sisters and I laughed, but Esme was still hesitant. Rosalie groaned loudly, "Esme, please relax. It's nothing." She sighed, "I just hate thinking of you all in trouble." Rosalie leaned her head on Esme's other shoulder and Alice rested hers on mine. "Look, Mom, if trouble was coming, we would have seen that. And, what we saw was during a lunar eclipse. Now, if we saw it while there was blood on the moon, then you should be concerned," Rosalie explained. I smiled in encouragement, "That's right. Besides, there are four of us and you've trained us well. Whatever's coming, we'll handle it together." Alice chimed in, "So would you please relax or I'll spike your tea" and she waved a vial of belladonna. Esme finally laughed and relaxed.

After I was dressed for bed, I looked over my drawing again. My fingers lightly touched the page, feeling warmth and happiness. Who was this stranger? In my dreams, I was in our rose garden, facing the hedge and picking some roses. While holding a rose in my hand, someone stood behind me. I turned and gazed into the eyes of my visitor. In the dream, we looked at each other and my lips twitched into a smile. As he stepped toward me, he raised his hand towards my face.

As his hand drew closer to my cheek, my alarm clock rudely awakened me. I sat up in a start, "No. I didn't want it to end." I laid back down in bed, breathing deeply. That dream was more than a glimpse and getting stronger, but like the first dream, I couldn't remember his face. For the majority of the dream, I looked into his eyes and now, I cannot remember them. What I did remember was that I couldn't look away from his eyes. With every moment I was awake, reality was setting in, pushing the dream further into my subconscious.

I jumped out of my bed and began drawing this dream. Also, I wrote it in my journal, along with the feelings I had:

In this dream, the man I was with was beautiful. Though I can't remember his face, I felt a glowing radiating from him directed at me. As he got closer, I felt a pull within myself to be closer to him. All I know is that I will be in the garden and the roses will be in full bloom. I'll wait for the roses to be in bloom, that's when I'll see him. I don't know who he is, or when I will see him, but all I know is that when I'm in the garden, I'll be happy to see him.

I got dressed for school, unable to shake my dream. On the way downstairs, I looked out the small window that looked out to our garden. The hedge where the roses usually grow was bare. The roses weren't due for several more weeks. In a few weeks, I'll see him, whoever he was.

"Bella, let's go. Alice's waiting," Rosalie rushed me as she ran down the stairs. I smiled, "I'll be right there." I looked back the garden and tried to put the dream aside for now. Another boring day in our school, where we had to pretend we didn't hear the scornful remarks from our classmates and the inappropriate remarks from other students.

"I can't let go of what we saw last night," Rosalie confessed, "What does it all mean?" Alice shrugged, "Only time will tell." She sighed, "Alice, aren't you the least bit concerned?" Alice rolled her eyes and looked at me, "No. Bella said it's coming to us, not for us. That's two different things. Maybe it's something we called." Rosalie huffed as she griped the steering wheel, "What did we call?" We looked at each other, "I don't know, but I think we may know soon." Alice looked at me, "Why do you say that? I haven't seen anything." I grimaced, "I don't know, it's just a feeling."

The day went by at its monotonous pace. Sitting at our usual table in the cafeteria, Alice closed her eyes, "Angela's coming." Angela was one of the few people in the school who braved the public eye and rumors to befriend the strange Platt sisters. "Hey guys." "Hey Ang," Alice called back. Angela sat with us, "You won't believe this." Rosalie smiled, "What?" "Eric asked me to go to the movies with him this weekend." Alice and I looked at each other, "That's great. What are you going to wear?" Alice beamed.

Angela went into her plans about her date, asking Rosalie for advice. Alice squeezed my hand, "It worked. She's going to have him groveling at her feet," she whispered. "One step at a time," I responded, "We don't want to overwhelm her." We giggled, "Ang, I could do your hair for you," I offered. We weren't as strange as people thought we were. When it came down to it, my sisters and I were teenage girls.

The same dream came to me every night for another week. Each night, the dream came with something more for me to build upon. In one, someone whispered, "Wings of silver." When I woke up, those words rang with familiarity, as if I heard them before. "Wings of silver?" I whispered to myself, "Where do I know that?" My latest dream was the stranger holding me in his arms.

I was looking up at him, but his eyes were looking away from me. I remember the feeling of him looking out for danger; as if he were protecting me. The dreams I had weren't only starring me. In another, Alice was with another man. I only saw him from behind and he had hair of honey, contrasting her ebony hair. They were holding hands and walking away from my stranger and me. I wanted to call to her, but my stranger was caressing my cheek. Alice looked back at me and she was smiling brightly.

Another dream, I was walking on a moonlit beach. Esme and Rosalie were walking in the surf. The water was breaking across their bare feet, wetting the hems of their long white dresses. They were walking towards two more strangers. Esme's stranger had golden hair, which held the moonlight, making it look almost white. For Rosalie, her stranger was larger, with dark hair. His strong hands held her close to him and she was happy. I looked away from my mother and sister, to be looking at my stranger, who was smiling at me. I couldn't help smiling back at him. He brushed a strand of hair away from my face and he whispered to me, "Bella… pure as snow."

I awoke in a start. It was dawn, but I couldn't get back to sleep. Getting out of bed, I ran to my desk and wrote about these dreams. What were they? Someone knocked on my door, making me jump, "Come in, Esme." She came in, "Dear, what's the matter?" She brushed her hand over my forehead.

I sighed, "Esme, I didn't tell you this because I wanted to figure it out on my own, but I have been having these recurring dreams." My hand extended towards her, giving her my drawings, "What is this?" I shook my head, "It's incomplete. That's never happened before. Every night, the dreams are getting stronger. They change and grow, but I still can't remember his face, and look…" I handed her my journals, "It's about all of us."

Esme read my dream journal, becoming more concerned, "Honey, why didn't you tell me this sooner?" I sighed, "Because it wasn't a bad thing." She eyed me, "Bella, the first one came the morning of the eclipse." I bit my lip, "Yes, but lunar eclipses are good signs; unity and happiness. What if this is what is coming?" She looked at me.

I sighed, "Give me your hand." We held our hands together, palm to palm. I closed my eyes and her feel the emotions I felt in the dreams, especially the ones from her. She gasped and opened her eyes, "Bella? What was…." I shrugged, "Esme, I think that these four strangers are what are coming to us." We stared at each other, thinking about what was coming to our family.


	3. Shock

Chapter 3 – Shock

Saturday morning Esme talked with all of us about my dreams. Alice and Rosalie were sitting in the breakfast nook, talking with each other. They looked up as Esme and I came in. The nook was surrounded with windows that looked out to the backyard and garden. Alice placed a plate of toasted cinnamon raisin bread with butter in front of me. The kettle sat in the middle of the table, with fresh brew tea.

"Girls, Bella's been seeing some interesting things." She showed Alice and Rosalie my sketchbook. Rosalie slowly chewed as she looked over my drawings, "Bell, why didn't you tell us?" I bit my lip and shrugged, "I didn't want any of you to worry. I wanted to figure it out, but it really has me doubting myself. All these dreams are incomplete. I can't remember any of their faces."

Alice smiled wryly, as though I missed an obvious solution, "I'm going to see if I see anything. I haven't picked up anything lately, but I have been getting strange feelings." All of us looked at her, "Like what?" Esme asked; concern heavy in her voice. Alice looked at all of us, "Since Bella told me about her first incomplete dream, I got a feeling of expectation, like something _is_ coming. And this was on the day of the eclipse too. I think Bella's right, something… someone is coming to us. And I believe we inveterately called them. These men in Bella's dreams are coming and by what she saw, we're going to be happy about it."

Rosalie and Esme looked at us, then each other, "Whoever they are, let's be prepared. I'm making you all protection charms. Good or bad, whatever is coming is a cause for concern and I won't have my daughters in trouble." Esme looked at all three of us, "I love you all too much to let anything happen to you." My hand took hers, hoping to comfort my mother. "You're right. We'll keep our eyes, minds and senses open," Rosalie declared. Esme smiled and went to the pantry to make our charms. Alice closed her eyes and tried to look for anything.

_Don't you worry yourself_, Alice reassured me, _you're not losing your gift. You just needed one of us to help complete the picture._ Rosalie and I went to her room after breakfast, "Bella? My stranger," she held out the picture, "he seems bigger than Esme's." I half-smiled, "As big as a bear….?" I said it as a joke, then realized how it came off to Rosalie. What she read in the stars the night of the eclipse.

We looked at each other, "Do really you think it's connected with the readings?" She nodded, "Maybe." I sighed, "I just wish I could remember their faces. I saw them in the dreams, but when I woke up, their faces were just gone." I plopped myself on her bed and covered my face with a pillow. Rosalie pulled it away with one tug, "Knock it off, you big baby." She pulled me into a sitting position and began to brush my hair, "Stop worrying. We'll figure this out, together."

I smiled and hugged my sister's arm, "Thanks Rose, but there's one more thing." She raised an eyebrow, though I didn't see her do it, "What?" "Whoever they are, I feel that they're coming very soon." She looked at me, "How soon?" she snapped. "Real soon." Rosalie's violet eyes hardened, "Hand." Rosalie claims she wasn't the boss, but she never let us forget that she was the eldest. Alice and I listened to her almost as closely as we listened to Esme. Rosalie and I pressed our palms together and she saw the dreams and felt the emotions. She exhaled slowly, "You're right. I got that too. They're coming soon."

_Knock, knock, knock_. "Come in, Alice." She came in and sat with us, taking my other hand. The three of us formed our circle, sharing feelings and memories. Alice saw the dreams and I felt her visions. Her visions were blurs, nothing substantial to confirm my dreams.

We remained in our circle, exchanging feelings. _Bella, Alice, Rosalie… strength unparallel_. Each of us gasped, breaking our circle, all of our hands trembling. I peered at my sisters, "You guys heard that, right?" I looked at their faces and they looked at each other and me, nodding slowly. "Our names?" Rosalie whispered. Alice tried to control her breathing, "And something else." She looked at me, "Strength unparallel?"

I sighed, "That's the third thing I've heard." I looked at them, "First was 'wings of silver,' then 'pure as snow,' now this?" My teeth chattered for a moment, "I've heard these lines before. I know them." The whispered lines spark forgotten memories that quickly faded away. I clutched my fingers to my temples, leaning forward, "What's going on, or what's going to happen?" Someone brushed my hair, "We'll figure it out, together, like sisters should." My head leaned on Alice's lap, "I'm really losing it." I winced sharply as Alice pinched me, "Stop believing that. You are not losing it. Your magic is just as strong, you're probably just losing your mind."

Esme remained in the pantry for hours as she worked, while my sisters and I started our chores. Alice practiced her favorite spell. "Ok, Mickey Mouse," Rosalie teased, "do it." Alice swept her hand across empty air and the broom closet opened. On its own, the old brush broom swept across the floor. The three of us laughed as we sat cross-legged on top of the long table in the center of the kitchen. Esme came in and shook her head, "Alice, you've been doing that spell since you were ten." Alice laughed, "And it never gets old."

Esme smiled and crossed the room. She walked through the double doors behind us to the greenhouse. The broom had finished it work and we moved onto the rest of the house. Esme rarely let us use our abilities when we had to clean. The broom trick she allowed because it reminded her of when we were children. She had a framed picture of the three of us on her bedside table. Rosalie was eleven, I was ten and Alice was nine. We were sitting and laughing on the same table in the kitchen as Alice practiced that same spell.

On Monday morning, Esme had given us our charms. They were round pieces of silver, strengthened with the spell Esme cast on them. Rosalie didn't like the way they looked, so she changed them. Esme raised an eyebrow, "Let's see." This was a clear challenge to see how strong Rosalie was. She took mine first and held it in the palm of her hand. Her other hand clasped over the silver circle and she began to chant a quiet spell.

Rosalie opened her hand and a yellow sun rested in her palm. Esme smiled approvingly, "Well done, honey." Alice got a crescent moon and Rosalie's was a star. At school, the students were a buzz. "Hey Ang," Alice greeted. "Hey, did you hear? There are three new students who just transferred here from Toronto." I smiled, "More fascinating news from Forks High." All of us giggled and went on to our classes. This town was so frightfully dull, that people moving in was headlining news.

I overheard some of the students talking about our new arrivals, "They're brothers and their dad is the new doctor at the hospital." In class, I pulled out my notebook and began drawing a line of diamonds. Tyler Crowley sat at our desk, "Hey Bella." I smiled, "Hey Ty." He sighed as he took a drink from his water bottle, "Have you seen the new guys?" I shook my head, "Nope." I sighed deeply, "Slow news day, huh?" He laughed, "Not true. Michelle's cat was stuck in a tree." My eyes widened in mock horror, "Did it all both of the police officers get her down?" Tyler laughed. He was one of the brave few in the school.

We went through our Spanish class together and departed for our classes for the rest of the morning. In my third hour class, one of the new boys was in the class with me. "Class, this is Jasper Cullen." I hadn't looked up, but I heard some girls giggling, "He's cute." I rolled my eyes and looked up to the face of the new student. His face was pale, with golden hair and gold eyes. He wore contact lenses. The gold of his hair matched his eyes perfectly. He looked towards me, holding my gaze. As he walked past me to the back of the class, I clutched my charm and my body stiffened. _Alice_. What was that? Why did my sister's name come to mind? "Are you alright?" Angela was looking at me, with her eyebrows furrowed. I smiled weakly, "Mondays," I shrugged. She laughed, "I know the feeling." As we went through class, I felt eyes on me and this was strong.

I tried not to look back at him, but I felt that Jasper Cullen was looking at me. After class, I caught a glimpse of him leaving the classroom. He moved so fast, I almost missed him. I sighed a slow breath; it was nothing. These dreams have me shaken and I'm really beginning to doubt myself. Angela and I went to the cafeteria, crossing through the parking lot. In my peripheral vision, I caught the sight of something silver. Looking back, there was a silver Volvo parked a few spaces away from Rosalie's car. Angela tugged my arm as I lingered, looking at the car. I needed to see my sisters.

Angela went to sit with her other friends, which was a good thing. I sat at our usual table, not stopping to get something to eat. Right as my sisters entered, three new faces came in behind them. I recognized Jasper among the faces, but the other two were completely new. The other two had darker hair than Jasper; one with a bronze hint to his hair. The other was bigger than his brothers were, with dark hair; _Rosalie_. Like before with Jasper, I thought of my sister's name.

My sisters saw my bewildered expression and rushed to our table. They sat silently, looking at me. I watched as the brothers sat at a table, which a feet away from us.

"They must be Emmett's brothers," Alice said, glancing at the trio. I looked at her, "Who?" She looked to me, "Emmett Cullen, he's in my third hour class." Rosalie laughed once, "Edward Cullen's in my third hour class." My eyebrows rose, "And Jasper Cullen is in mine." We looked at each other. "Coincidence," Alice shrugged, "This is a small school." Rosalie and I glowered at her, "Coincidence doesn't happen to us." She looked between us, "You think?" The both of them looked at me, "Bella, do you think…..?" I shook my head, "No." Then again? I smiled, trying to calm them, "Let's not jump to conclusions, ok?"

Rosalie brushed her fingers over her forehead, while Alice fiddled with her charm between her fingers. I was doubting myself. Coincidence happens to my sisters or me. This must be something else. I looked up, "Lauren Mallory's cutting her eyes at the new guys."

We looked to Lauren and she was smiling. Alice scoffed, "She's going to try and talk to them. You know she thinks she's the queen bee around here." I pursed my lips; why didn't I want that to happen? Lauren was smiling and chatting with Jessica Stanley. Lauren was primping herself to talk to the Cullen brothers. She pinched her cheeks for a bit of color and tugged at the neckline of her sweater, showing the curve of her chest.

Lauren stood up at her table. R_ip_. Her back pocket caught on the back seat of another chair and as she moved, the pocket tore from her jeans. Her tablemates exploded with laughter. "Don't do that," I scorned my sisters. "It wasn't me," Rosalie denied quickly. "It was you," Alice pointed back at Rosalie. The three of us were laughing, trying to hide our amusement. I looked up and saw the bronzed-haired boy looking at me. I immediately looked away; what was that?

Alice, Rosalie and I went to get our lunches. Rosalie tried to hide her smile from Lauren's embarrassment. "Uh-oh. It's the Witches of Forks," I heard Sean Blanco whisper. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Sean at the table with the golden-eyed trio.

I rolled my eyes, "Sean's talking about us again." Rosalie groaned and Alice shrugged, "There's nothing else to do in this town except gossip." The three of us walked back to our table. Sean leaned closer to Jasper, whispering of past rumors. With her index finger, Alice brushed along her ear, listening to their conversation. She scoffed and shook her head at the lies Sean was saying about us.

Rosalie began to crack her knuckles; never a good sign. "Rose, leave him alone," Alice warned. Rosalie sighed and bit her apple. As she chewed, she looked at Sean. I knew what she wanted to do, but there was no stopping her, "Alice, let her have her fun." Alice and I were talking when Rosalie gasped and looked down; her face was flushed. "What's wrong?" Alice asked, patting her shoulder. Rosalie's eyes were on the table, "That's never happened before." My eyebrows furrowed, "What?"

She sighed, "I was trying to silence Sean when the dark-haired one, Emmett?" she looked at Alice questioningly and she nodded in response, "Well, he looked at me, breaking my concentration. Like his gaze just…." she trailed off. The same thing happened to me when, now I knew which one he was, Edward looked at me. Who were these brothers?


	4. Concerned

Chapter 4 – Concerned

I've never seen Rosalie shaken up. She was reminding me of me; starting to doubt her abilities. At least the day was almost over and we could talk to Esme that much sooner. Rosalie, Alice and I lingered in the cafeteria until the Cullen brothers left. "Don't worry. When we get home, we talk to Esme, ok?" Alice reminded us. The late bell rang and we left the cafeteria.

In biology, Mike Newton had that class with me and shared my desk. He was confident with every girl in the school, everyone but me. I walked into the class late, disrupting Mr. Banner, "Thank you for joining us, Ms. Platt." I glanced at him, "Sorry, my pedicure ran late." Several students laughed, including Mike. Right behind my seat, there was a new face, Edward Cullen. His gold eyes watched me as I took my seat.

Mike was still snickering when I sat down, "Hey Bella." I smiled, "Hi Mike." Mike was tethering his textbook on its edge. His fingers stumbled with the thick book and dropped it. Needless to say, Mike provided my entertainment in this class. Once in my seat, I pulled my hair out of its ponytail. Behind me, there was a sharp inhaling of breath and the air of unease.

As Mr. Banner began the lesson, I settled in for the boring hour. There was the feeling of someone had their eyes on me. My fingers clutched at my charm and my eyes closed, trying to solidify this feeling. I was seeing glimpse of light eyes looking at me. "Ms. Platt? Ms. Platt!" Mr. Banner knocked on my desk and I opened my eyes, "If this class is too boring for you…" I stuttered, "No, I'm… I'm sorry." Mr. Banner scowled and went out his lesson. It's official, I've lost it.

"Are you alright?" Mike leaned closer to me. "Yea." This was unnerving. I believed I knew who was staring at me, so I tried to ignore him. My fingers combed through my hair, a habit I always did when I was nervous or concerned. As Mr. Banner talked about the lesson, I leaned back in my seat, folding my arms. Being closer to him, my senses were telling me to look at him, but I ignored the inkling.

My fingernails tapped on the desktop, impatiently and soon the hour ended. "Don't get to close to her. Remember what I told you," I overheard Sean. Mike and I looked at each other. He indicated that he was going to say something to Sean, but I shook my head and smiled. "You know he's a moron," I said aloud. My head turned back and looked at Sean. He caught my eyes and I looked away. Sean would be getting his soon enough.

As I got out of my seat and gathered my books, I bumped into Edward's arm, dropping my own books. I looked up quickly, "I'm so sorry." He looked down at me and smiled, "It's fine." I huffed, those were the light eyes I was catching glimpses of, "Umm, I'm sorry, I'm Bella Platt." We looked at each other, "Yes and I'm Edward Cullen." We smiled at each other, still staring into each other's eyes, "I'm sorry," and I ducked down to retrieve my things.

Edward handed me my last book, "Thanks," I exhaled. He moved so quickly, I didn't even see him kneel down. "I'm holding you up from class." He smiled again and I tried turning my eyes away and gathering my bag. When I turned around, Edward was gone. That was unusual. I needed some air. My last class was coming up, but I wasn't up for going, so I went out to the parking lot.

When I reached Rosalie's car, my eyes were locked on the silver Volvo. There was nothing special about it, but it was triggering a memory. I needed to calm down. Paranoia wasn't good for a witch. The encroaching forest neighboring the school grounds offered comfort. There was a patch of lavender that grew in the forest and it wasn't far. I walked into the trees to the spot that I knew of. I walked about a quarter of a mile until I reached the patch of lavender.

Settling on my knees, I start picking the lavender I needed. Since I've been having these dreams, sleep had been evading me. I would make the lavender into oil to burn in my room tonight. As I went about picking the flowers, my mind drifted back to Edward Cullen's eyes. He had the same eyes as his brothers, but his gaze was what I couldn't forget.

I sat on the forest floor, my lap full of flowers just thinking about the gaze of those gold eyes. The gaze that, though it lasted for a moment, I could be lost in forever. His gold eyes were commanding, yet mysterious. I wanted to look into his eyes and never look away. Suddenly, my phone vibrated in my pocket, bringing me back to my surrounding. I was so engrossed in thoughts that I hadn't notice the butterflies fluttering around me. There were dozens of them. Butterflies meant a change was coming.

"Hello?" I answered my phone. "Bell, where are you?" Alice's voice was mad. I sighed, "In the woods. I'm coming, Alice. Sorry." I gathered the lavender and ran back to the parking lot. As I reached its edge, the lot was almost empty except for a few cars; including the silver Volvo. My sisters were leaning again the trunk of Rosalie's car, looking in the direction I was coming.

"What happened?" Rosalie asked when I was close. "Didn't feel like going to class, so I went to get some lavender." She rolled her eyes and got in the car. Alice smiled and hoped into the back seat. I loved Rosalie, but Alice was more understanding. As I had gotten in the passenger seat, the Cullen brothers were walking toward the silver Volvo, with Sean, who had an armful of papers. Sean's car was one of the few left in the lot and I owed him from biology.

Before getting in the car, I sighed out in a gust. With that, a sharp gust of wind blew through the lot, making Sean's papers fly all over the lot, "No, my paper!" I smiled coyly as I fastened my seatbelt. "You're bad," Rosalie complimented. I smiled at her, "Proud of it." When Rosalie pulled out of the spot, I looked up to see Edward Cullen leaning against the silver car, looking at me again.

A sudden vision flashed in my eyes; a silver Volvo flying out of a dark alley coming towards me, with its headlights shining. I blinked and we were driving away from the school. While we drove down the highway to our house, Alice pointed out a black Mercedes that was turning off the highway into the forest. "He must have been the owner of that new house built in there," Alice speculated. A few months ago, it was rumored that a wealthy family was having a house built in the woods, a few miles from our home.

Rosalie looked the black car, "Wow, that's not a cheap car. A Mercedes S55 AMG, very nice." I looked at her, "You sure you weren't meant to be a boy." Rosalie glared at me as I began laughing. Alice was giggling, "I don't think so. Remember how she used to cry whenever she broke a nail." Our laughter filled the car. Rosalie jerked the car, by hitting the brake and driving off faster, "You two aren't funny." The quick movement jerked me forward against my seatbelt, then slammed me back into the seat.

Rosalie pulled into the garage and stomped into the house. Alice covered her mouth as she climbed the steps. Inside, Alice and Rosalie began preparing dinner while I went to the greenhouse. I had taken the lavender I gathered and began crushing them with a pestle. While I was preparing the flowers, my mind was elsewhere. I was thinking about my vision.

Why was that car coming towards me at such a fast speed? My stirring slowed as I began to think about Edward's eyes. The way I looked away when I first saw them. My mother always complimented me on my demanding eyes, but with him, there was something different. I shook my head, dislodging the thoughts. The petals were now bits of fine dust. I poured them into a jar, then I added some almond oil. Shaking the jar slowly, I placed it on the shelf. The oil would be ready in a month. I made this bottle to replace the oil Esme made last month; this one was ready to be used.

Taking the oil, I went up to my room. There was a glass dish on my bedside table that would hold the oil. As I entered my room, I froze. My dream journal was open on my desk under the open window, the pages fluttering in the wind. I looked out the window and the wind stopped. I looked down and saw the page that was turned to; the description of my dream from the morning of the eclipse. My hand slammed the book shut. I didn't want to think about that dream, not tonight.

Leaving my room, I went to help my sisters with dinner. "Alice, could you hand me the…," she gave me knife I needed. Rosalie and I were cooking, while Alice set the table. It wasn't a difficult task for her, as she made the plates set themselves on the table. After another hour, Esme was home and we told her about our day. "So, he just looked at you and it broke your concentration?" she asked Rosalie. "Yes, that's never happened before. It was like his gaze just….." she sighed, "I don't know."

Esme bit her lip, "Bella, what about you?" I made a face, "Well, when his brother, Edward looked at me, I just shied away from his gaze." We could see the concern on our mother's face, "Well, did any of them try to speak to you?" "Edward's in my biology class and I bumped into him. All he said was 'sorry,' introduced himself, helped gather the books I dropped and that was it." I left out our mischievous behavior. Esme's eyebrows furrowed, "Alright, well, like we agreed let's keep our eyes and senses open."

"Bella, if you want, I can get the information out of Jasper," Alice offered. I swear, she was the gossip queen. "He's in my English class after lunch," Alice smiled, "You know, _persuade_ him." I smiled at my younger sister, "If you think you can." She scoffed, "_Think_? I know I can." Rosalie and I looked at each other, taking each other's hand. Rosalie didn't believe she could persuade Jasper either. "Don't you two gang up on me," Alice whined. All of us except Alice laughed.

After dinner, the four of us sat at the table, drinking tea, playing cards and talking. Playing cards wasn't easy with us. Alice could see what each of us held, I knew what was being dealt to each player and Rosalie could change her cards to be the winning hand. As we talked, Alice went to cupboard and took out some cookies. _Thwack_, the broom fell and all of us froze. "Company's coming," Alice whispered. My eyes met with my sisters and mothers. Everything around us seemed out of balance. Nothing was making sense.

Esme stood, "Rose, get the book." Rosalie took my hand and we went to the living room. In a locked glass display case, was our family book. It was a large old, leather-bound book. It has been in Esme's family for two hundred years. It contained her family tree and secret incantations.

Taking the book, Esme was flipping through the pages, "Bella's dreams, the eclipse, Rosalie's reading; this is all too much. Something is coming and I don't like it. Tomorrow night is the final full moon." She was still flipping the pages until she found what she needed, "Here, we are going to put a protection circle around the house. We'll need twelve pure stones to make a perfect circle around the house and tomorrow night, we're going to cast the protection spell. And all of you are forbidden from taking off your charms." Listening to our mother, my sisters and I complied with her wishes.

That night, I burned my lavender oil, hoping for a peaceful night. In my dreams, I was with my stranger again. Though I couldn't see his face, I felt safe in his arms.


	5. Rescue

Chapter 5 – Rescue

School went by and the Cullens were still the main thing to talk about. Lauren didn't make any attempts to speak to them at lunch. In biology, Edward smiled a hard smile to me. I nodded and took my seat. Sean said nothing during class and left in a huff. He was still mad about his report. Mr. Banner was teaching about cellular anatomy, something I'd already studied. In our summers, Esme enrolled my sisters and me in summer courses at Peninsula College.

When we got home from school, Esme left out the things we would need to complete the protection spell, including instructions. We had to set the twelve pure stones around the house like a clock, making a perfect circle. Esme had prepared the stones, taking them from the pond behind the house. In the center of the house, my sisters and I set out all the candles in the parlor. After Rosalie and I rolled up the carpet, Alice drew out the eye of protection; pointing out the north, south, east and west. To complete the spell, we would have to stand at the four corners. Candles lined the mantle and made a circle around the eye.

None of us had much of an appetite, but Rosalie persuaded me and Alice to have some toast. "Look, you two, nothing is going to happen. You know how Esme is. She just wants to cover all of our bases." I pinched bits of bread between my fingers, slowly eating them, "I guess you're right. Esme is a bit over protective." "Is that such a bad thing?" Esme asked. She rested her purse down on the long table as she came in through the back door.

The four of us walked to the parlor and took our positions. "Bella, light the candles," Esme ordered. Striking a match, I lit the wick of one candle and all the candles in the room ignited. "Ok, girls, you know what to do." Standing around the eye, my mother, my sisters and I raised our hands.

Esme began, "Hail to the guardians of the watchtowers of the north, by the powers of mother and earth. Hear us." Rosalie spoke her part, "Hail to the guardians of the watchtowers of the east, by the powers of air and invention. Hear us." Alice, "Hail to the guardians of the watchtowers of the south, by the powers of fire and feeling. Hear us." And myself, "Hail to the guardians of the watchtowers of the west, by the powers of water and intuition. Hear us." Esme finished, "We come to you this September's eve to ask for your watchful eyes over this house and this family. We ask that no harm come to our home or us. Let none that mean us harm enter this sacred ground. We ask the guardians of the watchtowers of the north, east, south and west to protect and watch over us. We our blood as an offering," each of us pricked our fingers, allowing a single drop of blood to fall on the center of the eye of protection, "for our earthly guardians to watch over and protect our family." As we rejoined hands, energy emerged from the eye, bathing the four of us in its light, pushing out to cover the whole house, "Please, our guardians, watch over our family and home."

With that, all the candles were blown out and leaving the four of us in the dark. Sighing, Esme squeezed my hand, "It is done." She took up a candle and blew on the wick until the fire began to burn, "It was successful. We will be protected. The guardians will send to us earth-bound guards to watch over us. They will come in any form, but they will be there, watching and protecting."

My sisters and I looked at each other in the dim light, "Alright, but at least now we have extra protection," Rosalie stated. Alice and I sat together, playing with candles. I lit mine, blowing on the wick and she would have her hand putting out the flame. All these signs were unnerving Esme. After dinner and all of us retired to our rooms, I went to speak with Esme. "Come in, dear." I didn't need to knock for her to know I was there. "What's the matter, Bella?" I walked across the room to sit at the foot of her four-poster bed, "I was worried about you. I know all these things happening isn't easy for you. I wanted to know if you were alright?" She smiled her warm motherly smile, "I'm fine. I'm just taking extra precautions to protect my daughters. The three of you are so important to me."

She squeezed my hand, "You know I lost a child and I refuse to lose any of you." Esme kissed my hair, "I guess I am an over-protective mother, doing all I can to protect my children." I made a face, "Normally, over-protective moms would just lock her children in the house, not call on the spirits." She and I laughed, "That may be so, but we're not like other people. Bella, I want you to realize something. I may have taught you all you know, but I haven't taught you all of what I know. I think it's time you girls begin developing your own spells and incantations and putting them into the book."

I gasped. This was a huge step in our training. I groaned loudly, "Come in." Alice and Rosalie poked their heads into the room. Esme was laughing, "You heard her." They sat on the edge of the bed with me, "You think we're ready to do that?" Alice asked, practically bouncing in place. Esme nodded, "Yes, you girls have proven yourself responsible with your abilities." Alice held my hand, showing me getting back at Sean and Lauren. I suppressed a smile. Esme shook her head, "Well, most of the time. You stand by each other and work together. The three of you are strongest together and I couldn't be happier."

Esme sighed deeply, "Now, get to bed, you pampered brats. You have school in the morning." Esme kissed our cheeks and we went to our rooms. Alice was already thinking about her contributions to the book. In my room, the air was thick with the scent of lavender and for the first time in a long time, I had a normal dream.

At school, Alice stated that she was going to try her charming techniques on Jasper Cullen. Rosalie and I still doubted her. Morning classes went by as they always did. At lunch, Alice was sitting at our table in a daze. "Alice, sweetie," Rosalie was waving her hand in front of Alice's face. Alice just stared at the table, "Bella, is she having a vision?" I shook my head, "Nope, she wasn't successful."

Alice's eyes moved slowly to my face, glaring. I smiled, "Knew it. Let me guess, he in-turn charmed you into dropping it." Alice pouted and stormed off to get her lunch. "Ok, I owe you new boots," Rosalie stated. I smiled as I watched after Alice. Rosalie went after her, but I sat at the table. I knew Alice wouldn't be able to get information out of Jasper. Same thing with Rosalie and Emmett and me, with….. I trailed off as they entered the cafeteria.

Looking at him, Jasper had a smug look about him. What had he done to my sister? Rosalie and Alice were heading back to the table as Jasper and Emmett walked past them. In that instant, I had a vision. My sisters were with the Cullen brothers, smiling as they did in my dreams. I shook my head, trying to dislodge the image in my head. I sighed and went to get my lunch.

As I walked, the feeling of eyes on me grew strong. I looked to my left and Edward Cullen was heading in my direction; going to sit with his brothers. When he was close enough, I heard him take in a deep breath. That brought me up short and I was instantly taken back to my dream, where my stranger had done the same thing. Where were these earth-bound protectors so all of this would end?

In biology, Edward wasn't in class and I hadn't seen him for the rest of the day. The week of school progressed in its boring pattern. Edward was there and I always felt his eyes on me. This was driving me insane. My dreams never stopped and neither did my visions.

The following week, on a particularly bad day, I sat in biology, trying to focus on my work, hoping to make the time go by faster. I got into an argument with Rosalie this morning over my dreams and she hadn't forgiven me when we were at lunch. Alice stayed neutral in our arguments, hoping that we would resolve our dispute. I sighed deeply, getting back to writing my notes. "You know the rumor is that none of those girls are normal. Even their mother had the same reputation. And, some say, Bella killed her own mother when she was little."

My head snapped up and my temper exploded. I slammed my book on the desk and whirled around, grabbing Sean by his collar. "First of all, let's get one thing straight," the whole class was looking at me, but I didn't care, "if you are going to gossip about someone, one, make sure they can't hear you and two, try to have some accurate information. If you must know, I didn't kill my birth mother. She died giving birth to me."

I tugged at his collar harder, pulling him out of his seat, "And if you _ever_ talk about me, my sisters or my mother, you are… " I couldn't finish, because I was trying to hold back tears. Holding back tears and my true powers from emerging. My strength increased as my power grew. A witch's rage fueled her power.

Mr. Banner came over to the desk, "Isabella, let him go." My frame was shaking and a sob broke through my lips, tearing streaming from my eyes. Mike was informing Mr. Banner about what Sean was saying. Mr. Banner looked at me, "Could someone take Bella outside?" I closed my eyes, knowing that Mike would volunteer. "I'll take her," my eyes opened and saw Edward standing. Mr. Banner nodded, "Thank you, Edward."

Edward gathered my books and took up my book bag. He gestured for me leave, which I did. "By the way, Sean," I turned around and saw Edward glaring at Sean, "my brothers and I were adopted too. Don't think about spreading rumors about us." Edward placed his hand on the small of my back and guided me out of the class. We walked in silence until we reached outside. The mist was falling, clinging to my skin.

He guided me to a bench, "Please sit." I nodded, complying with his request. He sat with me, looking at my face. I shook my head, trying to fight back the fresh tears in my eyes. The anger that exploded in my chest nearly triggered everything I was. All of it, all of my power was about to explode, ready to lash out at Sean. My hands covered my face, trying to hold myself together.

"Bella, are you going to be alright?" A sob gusted out of my lips. Inadvertently, a gust of wind blew through the parking lot, "I will be. It just…." I sighed, "I just can't take _anyone_ talking about my mothers. My birth mom, Renee, I never met her and Esme…. she's the sweetest person ever." I ran my fingers through my hair and my teeth were chattering. Edward chuckled once and I looked at him, "What?" I really didn't want my power to turn on him.

He looked at me, "I feel the same way about Carlisle. That's my dad, well my adopted dad. I don't really remember my birth parents either and I've been with Carlisle so long. He is my father." He looked at me, "What do you remember about your parents?" I shrugged, "They were Charlie and Renee Swan. My dad was a police officer and my mom was an artist. They lived in Seattle and were driving home when a truck slammed into their car. My dad was killed instantly, but my mom could've survived. She went into premature labor with me. After being rushed to a hospital, I was delivered by a C-section and she passed away as soon as I was out of her."

A tear fell from my eye, "She never even got a chance to hold me. All I know is that I look like my mom, but I have my dad's eyes and dark hair." Talking about my parents was calming me down. I smiled, "I actually found a picture of them online and Esme helped me do the research to find out what happened to them." Edward smiled at me, "That was very kind of her." I shook my head, "You have no idea. After she found Rosalie, she found me in the orphanage in Seattle when I was eight years old. Rose is older than me by a few months; she's eighteen. Alice is sixteen and I'm seventeen." He nodded, "So am I. My brothers are eighteen. I was adopted by Carlisle first. He found me in Chicago. My parents died from an illness. My dad was first. My mom could have recovered but she used most of her strength trying to take care of me. Carlisle worked in the hospital where my mother was. My mom asked Carlisle to take care of me. That shocked him, but when he found out more about me, he decided to grant her dying request. A few years later, we found Emmett, then Jasper a little later."

He laughed, "It's still a family debate on whose Carlisle's eldest son. They believe it's me, because I was the first one to be adopted. I think its Emmett because he's the eldest. Jasper's fine with being the middle brother."

I laughed, to my surprise, "Just go by the age. But in regards of adoption, you hold the highest regard because you were the first." He smiled a crooked smile and it touched his eyes, "That could work." We were laughing together and he looked at me, "Are you feeling better?" I smiled, "Yes, thank you for distracting me. And thank you for getting me out of there." Edward sighed, "You know, I've never seen a girl so strong. You really unnerved that jerk."

I giggled, "Good, he deserves it. He's been making fun of my family for a while now. He has nothing better to do." Edward and I sat on the bench for the rest of the day, just talking about our families. The bell rang and passing students stared as we sat together. "I'm sorry. I'm holding you from class." He shrugged, "Doesn't matter." Edward looked at his watch, "Would you like to go home?" I bit my lip, "My sisters will be here soon and what about your brothers?"

Edward looked towards the parking lot. I followed his gaze, noticing a large red Jeep Wrangler, "That's Emmett's truck. I was planning on going to Port Angeles after school." I sighed, "Ohh, then go." He shook his head, "No. I should get you home." I smiled, "Maybe. By now, my mom will have heard about this. She'll want to meet the boy who came to my rescue." Edward laughed, "Hardly. I was coming to Sean's rescue. You look like you were going to kill him." I made a face, "Pretty close."


	6. Meeting

Chapter 6 – Meeting

Edward walked me to the silver Volvo and held the door open for me. Sitting in the car, a vision flashed; I was in this car, driving very fast in the night. I wanted to focus more on the vision, but Edward had gotten in. He pulled out of the parking lot and drove down the street, away from the school. Cold was settling in. I tugged at the sleeves of my coat and Edward noticed. Without asking, he put on the heater, "Sorry. I'm so used to the cold, it doesn't bother me." I smiled sheepishly, "I don't think I ever could."

Looking up, I notice we were going down the correct road to my house, but I didn't question it. In a small town, everyone knows where everybody lives. As we drove on the highway, he asked where the turn off was for my house. After I pointed it out, he pulled into our secluded driveway and up to the house. "Just like us," he muttered. "I'm sorry?" He looked at me, "Sorry. I was curious about why you and your family live out here away from town?" I made a face, "Privacy. Besides, as you hear, we don't exactly have the best reputation in town. Esme didn't want the local kids doing anything to the house while weren't home."

Edward opened my door for me, taking my book bag and followed me to the front door. No guy has ever done that for me. "Come in," I smiled. As he walked past me, energy surged through my body. I realize Edward was able to drive through the house's protective circle. He didn't mean me any harm. I closed my eyes, sensing my surroundings. Edward and I were alone in the house. He was in the living room when I found him, looking at our book, "What is this?" Oh boy, "It's Esme's. It's been in her family for generations."

He looked at the display case, "Why do you keep it locked up?" I smiled, "Esme's protective of it. Family heirloom, you know." He nodded, "That's understandable." Edward's eyes fell on our family portrait over the fireplace. It was Esme in the center, me to her right, Rosalie standing above Esme and Alice to Esme's left. He smiled, "How long has Alice been in your family?" I sat on the couch, "A year after me. She lived in the South."

He chuckled and sat with me, "So did Jasper and Emmett." I shrugged, "Edward, I really do want to thank you for this afternoon. You really didn't have to do that." He held up one hand, "Don't worry about it. Honestly, if it were me, I would have hurt him. You held back." My eyebrows furrowed, "What do you mean?"

He laughed once, "I saw it on your face, you wanted to do more to him, but you held back." I bit my lip, "Wow, you picked up on that." He was intuitive. It was a good thing I didn't let all of my powers explode. We stared at each other, "I picked it up because I know what it's like, wanting to do more to someone, but not letting yourself doing it. You know if you go further, it will do more harm than good." I nodded, "Absolutely. But Sean, I _know_ he will get what's coming to him." My eyes fell on the book.

I already planned what I would do, but I would need my family's help. Just then, I heard cars on the driveway, "My sisters are home." Edward looked through the window and his eyebrows furrowed, "So are my brothers." I looked back and saw the huge red jeep, behind Rosalie's convertible. "Bella?" Alice called out as the front door opened. "In here." Alice came around the corner with her arms open, "Bell, are you alright?"

She was hugging me tightly, "Esme's on her way home. She knows out all about it," her words came out in a rush. I looked at Edward, who was smiling at me and I smiled back. Rosalie came into the living room with Edward's brothers. Rosalie didn't speak, but I read it in her eyes, _We'll get him. I know just what to do_. I sighed and hugged my big sister. Emmett and Jasper stood with Edward, "What did he say?" Emmett asked. I huffed and half-smiled, "Sean was telling Edward I killed my mother." Emmett's eyes widened, "Why would he do that?" I shrugged, "Could it be from when I turned him down for a date freshman year? Or that he's just an idiot." I noticed everyone was still standing, "I'm sorry, we're being so rude. Please, sit." My teeth gritted, completely forgetting my manners, "Yes, would you like anything?" Jasper smiled, "No, we're fine." Edward looked at his brothers, "By the way, why are you two here?"

Emmett glanced across the room to his brother, "Rosalie's in my class and she looked really upset. As if she just knew something was wrong with Bella. After class, we heard about what happened in your class and that you were with her. I got Jasper and waited for Alice after school. They were really worried about Bella, so we came with them."

While Emmett explained, I touched my charm and another vision came; Rosalie in the white dress from my dream. Her stranger's face finally became clear, Emmett. I blinked and shook my head minutely, but Edward noticed, "Are you alright?" I was still standing with my sisters, "Yes, just trying to shake off this afternoon." Rosalie, Alice and my head all turned to the front door. Esme was home. Rosalie ticked off her fingers and mouthing the numbers, "Three, two, one…" and she pointed to the front door.

"BELLA!" she called before her car door was closed. I rolled my eyes and snickered, "Yes, Mom?" I went to the front door and was almost as it flew open. Esme hugged me tightly, "Don't you worry. We're gon…." I shook my head, silencing her. She sighed; sensing we weren't alone in the house. She and I walked into the living room, her arms around my shoulders, "Hello," she greeted our guests. I noticed Edward's eyes were suspicious as he looked at Esme.

Esme squeezed my shoulder, "Which one of you helped my daughter?" Edward's eyes met mine, "I did. I'm Edward Cullen and these are my brothers, Emmett" the tall burly teen smiled at Esme, "and Jasper," the golden blond nodded. Esme smiled in return, "Cullen? Are you related to the new doctor at the hospital?" Emmett answered, "Yeah, that's our dad, Carlisle. Have you met him yet?" "No, but I've heard good things about him." Esme looked at me, then back to Edward, "Thank you, Edward, so much for helping Bella. My daughter has a bit of a temper and you got her out of there before she ended up in trouble."

I smiled and curved my arm around my mother's waist, "Don't worry. Even if I did, it would have been worth it." Esme pinched my arm, making me wince, _What was that for?_ She sighed, "Still, thank you, Edward. We owe you. If there's anything we could do for you, please do not hesitate." Edward's smile grew showing her white teeth, "Thank you, Mrs. Platt." She held up hand up, "Please, call me Esme."

Edward and his brothers stayed for another hour, discussing their family's decision to move to this town. Their father had lived here before, when he was younger and enjoyed it. Dr. Cullen and his sons previously lived in Alaska and thought his family needed a change of scenery. Esme smiled, "I may have to introduce myself to your father. He's sounds nice, taking in three boys on his own."

Jasper chuckled, "The same could be said of you, taking in three girls." Alice held my hand, _Add in a maid and we could be the Brady Bunch_. I smiled, trying to stifle a giggle. Looking up, it seemed Edward was fighting a smile himself. Jasper cut his eye to Edward and he shook his head. Looking even closer, Edward's lips were moving. Well, they were brothers. Perhaps, they had their own means of communication, but not like my sisters and me.

Esme drifted off to the kitchen to start dinner. She wasn't adverse to cooking without her abilities, but it was a while since we did that. We rarely had visitors. Edward spoke about what happened in class, catching every minute detail. Rosalie nudged me, "You sure you weren't meant to be a boy?" Making a face, I flicked her ear, "Shut up." Emmett huffed, "I've never heard of a girl getting that angry that fast. I wonder how you would do in a fight?" Alice's eyebrows shot up, recollecting the fight I got into last year. "Well, she would have won. Bella's not a stranger when it comes to fighting boys." My face fell into my hands as my sisters talked about the fight I got into with Donovan Macintyre.

Edward and his brothers found the story quite funny and began in on their own fights with each. They enjoyed wrestling matches on a regular basis. Emmett stated that Edward won quite a few matches and he clearly wasn't happy about that. Esme came back into the living room, cleaning her hands with a dishtowel, "Would you boys care to stay for dinner?" Jasper looked at his watch, "Not this night, ma'am." "Ma'am?" Esme asked in disbelief, "I'm not my mother." Jasper laughed, "Sorry, Esme, but we should be going home. Carlisle will be home on."

"Alright," Esme said, "please come back when you can. Alice's birthday is coming up soon and we're having a party for her. You must come with your father." Alice smiled brightly, "Absolutely." Jasper didn't look to his brothers for confirmation, "We would love to. I just hope I have time to get you something nice." Alice's face began to turn red, "You don't have to worry about that." Was Alice actually flirting?

My sisters and I walked them to their cars. When we reached outside, the clouds were dark. "Just so you know, this won't be the last time she'll invite you to dinner," Rosalie informed them. The Cullens laughed. "No, I'm serious. You helped one of us. Esme will practically try to adopt you herself." "She's very nice," Emmett stated. The six of us were standing and laughing with each other. Rosalie looked at Emmett, "Does your dad drive a black Mercedes S55 AMG?" He smiled, "Yes. You know what kind of car that was?" Rosalie's smile was smug, "Yes. I actually worked on my mom's car and mine, making them faster."

Alice and I looked at each other out of the corner of our eyes, trying not to laugh. Rosalie's smile fell and hit us in our arms, "You're not funny!" she practically snarled at us, then turned back to the Cullens. Edward looked at me with a confused expression. I shook my head, "Later," I mouthed.

With that, they got into their cars and drove off. We waved and waited until they were out of sight. "What do you want to do to Sean?" Alice asked. Her tone sharply changed to a darker tenor. "Rosalie said she had a plan." We looked at her and she smiled wickedly back, "Let's talk with Esme."


	7. Preparations

Chapter 7 – Preparations

Once inside, the three of us went to speak with our mother. Esme in the kitchen, leaning against the long table and looking through the book. She looked up at us and smiled, "What do you want to do?" I looked to my right, "Rosalie?" Rosalie went over to Esme and began turning through the book's pages, "Here. One, we scare the hell out of him." She pointed out a spell, showing it to Esme. She laughed, "That's perfect, Rose." Rosalie smiled in return, "Then, we need to do a binding spell. We'll need a picture of Sean to do it."

Alice nodded, "I have one in my room." Rosalie nodded, "Ok, then tomorrow night. Esme, who contacted you about what happened?" The book closed and she rested it on the table, "Mr. Banner. He told me that Bella was so upset; she had to be escorted out of the class. I have to come up to the school for a meeting with the principal, Sean and his parents. Bella, you have to be there." I couldn't help smiling, "Good. But, just so you know, I plan on playing it up. I want him and his parents to see what his words had done to me."

Alice closed her eyes, looking into the future. We waited in silence until a smile grew on her lips, "Ohh, you're going to get his mother's sympathy on this." Esme laughed once, "Good. You know I can't help you with this. You have to do it on your own." "Ok, Mom," my sisters and I looked at each other, "Thanks for trusting us." Esme drifted over to the stove and turned down the burners, "Could one of you set the table?"

We spent the rest of the evening planning our spell, which took a great deal of energy. Esme couldn't help us, because she had to make sure we would be alright. "So, Alice," Esme asked as she set her glass down. "you must like Jasper a lot to flirt with him in front of your own mother?" A fork clattered onto a plate. I didn't bother to look up. Alice scoffed loudly, "I wasn't flirting." "Oh, yes, you were," Rosalie retorted. The dishes began to float off the tabletop as Alice got angry, "No, I wasn't!" I held my hands up, "Leave the baby alone." Esme smiled as she slowly chewed. Rosalie got up and set a bowl of grapes on the table, "You're right, Bell. I mean, Alice is just learning how to use her feminine abilities." Alice snorted and stormed out of the room.

The next day at school, I went drove to school with Esme, arriving shortly after Rosalie and Alice. The Cullen brothers smiled as my sisters pulled up. When Esme and I arrived, I composed my face, expressing my grief. Seeing Edward, I broke and smiled brightly at him. Esme and I walked together, "Hello Edward," she greeted him. "Hi, Esme. Hi Bella." I fought back a bigger smile as he said my name, "We're on your way to the meeting." He nodded and I felt his eyes on me as Esme and I went to the main building. Students stopped in their tracks as they same my mother. She was rumored to be a very powerful witch and no one wanted to get on her bad side.

The crowds practically parted as Esme walked through the hall. In the waiting area, Esme held my hand as I kept my eyes on the floor. The secretary tried to keep her eyes off us as she worked. The sounds of a keyboard clacked behind the desk, along with the thrumming of fingernails on the desktop. Esme wore a stern expression as we waited. She squeezed my hand; Sean and Mr. & Mrs. Blanco were coming.

I held my charm in my hand and felt my sisters with me. "Mrs. Platt, Isabella, please come in," the principal invited us into his office. "Mr. & Mrs. Blanco, Sean, please," they followed us, starting the meeting.

Esme and I sat together by the window seats and she held my hand, "I would like to know what you plan on doing with this young man after what he said to my daughter?" "Wait a minute," Mr. Blanco interjected. Mr. Birdie spoke up, "Please, I believe Sean has something he'd like to say." I tried not to roll my eyes, knowing he was going to be insincere. "Bella," I cut my eyes to him, "I want to apologize for saying that about you. It was completely out of line and I shouldn't have spoken about your mother like that." I didn't move; my eyes only looked away from him. "Isabella?" Mr. Birdie asked, "Did you hear him?" I nodded slowly.

"See, it was just a misunderstanding," Mr. Blanco spoke up for his son. My eyes widened, "Misunderstanding? A misunderstanding? Are you kidding me?" I wanted hurt to him, "So I misunderstood Sean telling Edward that I killed my own mother. Yeah, how can I blow _that_ out of proportion?" My eyes were becoming red and tears began to well. Esme wrapped her arm around my shoulders, "I don't know what you teach your son, but I will not tolerate anyone hurting my daughter."

Mr. Blanco moved forward in his seat. His wife placed her hand on his shoulder but he held up one hand, "Look, your family doesn't have the best reputation in town." Esme scoffed, "I don't give a damn about some silly reputation. That doesn't give Sean the right to talk about my family and deliberately insult Bella. I want him expelled."

"Mrs. Platt & Mr. Blanco, please," Mr. Birdie tried to calm the situation. I tugged on Esme's shoulder and she looked at me. I sat up, letting a tear fall from my eye. Mrs. Blanco gasped, seeing me cry, "I can assure you, Mrs. Platt, we never taught Sean to speak ill of anyone. Furthermore," her tone became authoritative, "Sean will not speak of your family or anyone else like that again. Bella, I truly am sorry that my son has hurt you and your mother. I cannot believe how things have changed so much between you. You and Sean were friends when you were little." I half-smiled, "I remember."

Sean wasn't always at odds with myself and my sisters. But as we entered high school, he became very different and arrogant. Sean looked at me for a moment and scoffed, "Probably put a hex on me or something." Everyone's eyes fell on him. "Sean!" his mother said sharply. "Come on, Mom," Sean countered, "Everyone knows that they're witches. The only reason people don't talk about Bella and her freaky sisters is because they're afraid." Esme was seething as she tried to control herself.

"That is it, young man," Mr. Birdie barked. I took to holding Esme's hand, Keep _it together_. "Sean, if I hear you speaking about the Platts again, I _will_ have you suspended for a two weeks. But, for now, you will serve in the cafeteria as your detention for the rest of this week and next week." Sean's eyes popped. His father glared at him, silencing his son with a look.

I tried not to smirk as I thought about the rest of his punishment that my family and I would be dispensing. "Fine," Esme stood. She glanced at me, "Bella, honey, let's go." Mr. Birdie stood and extended his hand, "Thank you for coming. I can assure you, nothing like this will happen again." Esme took his hand and smiled, "That's not something you can promise. This is a high school. But, I will continue to teach my daughters to stick together. Rumors or not," she added for Sean's understanding, "We're still a family." Mr. Birdie nodded, "Of course. Good day, Mrs. Platt and Bella, you better get to class." He handed me a slip to give to my teacher.

I walked Esme to her car. "Are you alright?" I asked her. Anger radiated of Esme, slamming into me. My charm pulsed with my sisters' concern for our mother. Esme held her charm, "I'll have everything ready for you tonight. I just need to finish the elixir for the three of you." She sent waves of reassurance to all three of us. "Thanks, Mom. Bye." I kissed her cheek and watched her drive away. Tonight, my sisters and I were going to have fun.

"Bella?" I turned around and saw Edward coming towards me. "Hi." He strode smoothly, his moves so fluid, "Aren't you supposed to be in class?" He laughed beautifully, "I was actually waiting for you. I wanted to know what happened." I huffed out a breath, "Sean apologized for what he said and his dad called it was a misunderstanding." Edward's eyebrows furrowed, "A misunderstanding? Is that the best he could come up with?" I laughed, "That's what I said. Then Sean swore we were witches in front of everyone and Mr. Birdie gave him cafeteria duty until the end of next week."

Edward and I walked to my next class, talking about the meeting. He held the door open for me as he walked me to my class, "Seeing how Sean is, he'll get himself suspended in no time." "Oh, I know," I muttered to myself. Looking through the breaks in my hair, I looked up at Edward and he looked away. His eyes were fixed straight ahead, as if he heard something. The bell rang and the halls filled with students. "Thanks for walking me to class. See you later." He nodded and walked away. I couldn't help noticing how he moved through the crowds, not touching anyone.

At lunch, Alice, Rosalie and I were talking about our evening's activity. I got hot chocolate for lunch, passing up eating. Rosalie offered me half her sandwich, "You're going to eat it. You'll need it." I stirred the contents of my cup as we walked to our table, "Rose, this is going to be difficult. None of us have ever done anything this powerful." Alice sat down quietly. I folded my arms as the stirrer kept rotating in my cup. "Bella's right. But Esme can't do it with us." Rosalie sighed, "I know, but we can do this. I know we're strong enough."

I looked up and saw the Cullens heading towards our table. Rosalie and Alice felt my surprise and smiled. Like their brother, Emmett and Jasper moved gracefully. Emmett was first to the table, "Hello ladies." Each of us smiled. Looking down, I quickly put my hand over the cup, stopping the stirrer.

Emmett sat with Rosalie, Jasper with Alice and Edward sat with me. Others walked past our table, clearly surprised that the Cullens were joining us. "Bella, Edward told me what happened," Jasper stated. Edward glared at his brother, conveying betrayal. Jasper ignored him, "Sounds like your mother wanted to mangle Sean." I smiled, "She was close and his dad." The six of us sat together, laughing and talking.

"What are you girls doing later?" Emmett asked, "We wanted to go to Port Angeles." Rosalie sighed, Alice bit her lip and I held back a groan. "Can we make it this weekend? My sisters and I are busy with our mom this evening. She needs our help with a project," Alice announced. _Dammit, this would have been the perfect date for Jasper and me_. Emmett shrugged his bulging shoulders, "That's fine with me. What about you two?" Jasper nodded in agreement and Edward smiled, "That's fine."

During biology, Edward requested to switch seats, so that he wouldn't have to sit near Sean. Mr. Banner complied. Since with what happened in class, Mr. Banner moved my seat as well. He asked Jessica Stanley and Monica Davis to move their seats. Jessica was practically jubilant as she sat next to Mike. She's had a crush on him for months. Edward was moved to the back of the class, right next to me. In the back of the class, Edward was more open, laughing and smiling. I had to admit, I was happy to be sitting with Edward. _Bella's got a boyfriend_, Rosalie taunted. _Shut up, blondie_.

"Sean's a little shaken up from today's meeting," Edward informed me. I felt that from Sean as well. "Let's not worry about him." 'Let's?' My heart flipped as I referred to Edward and myself in the same word. When he chuckled, his breath blew into my face. The smell of it was unlike anything I expected. It was unbelievably sweet. Mr. Banner continued his lesson and starting drawing on my notebook. I started a game of tic-tac-toe. Another pen made a circle in one of the boxes. Edward smiled at me as he waited for my next move. He beat me at every turn. My hand covered my smile. My skin felt hotter and I almost felt giddy. Ok, I really liked Edward Cullen.

During class, his hand brushed mine. His skin was very cold and t made me shuttered. "I'm sorry," he quickly apologized. When he touched me, there was a flash of my dreams. My stranger's arms around me, holding my bareback. I was looking up at his face, but I still couldn't remember it. Emmett was in the dream with Rosalie and that was happening. I didn't continue the thought, halting its progression. I blinked once and smiled at him, "Don't worry about it. By the way, there's an invention called gloves. Invest in them." He quietly laughed, "I'll think about that."

After school, my sisters walked quickly to Rosalie's car. Edward's Volvo was parked next to Rosalie's BMW. "Bye Edward," Alice said as she climbed into the backseat. Edward held open my door, "Hope everything's fine with your mother." I smiled at him, "Thanks. See you tomorrow." My fingers lingered on the back of his hand. Doing this, I notice not only how cold his skin was, but how hard it was.

Edward slowly pulled his hand away slowly, looking into my eyes. His eyes they were apologetic. I smiled reassuringly, getting into the car, "Bye." Edward walked around his car, shoving his hands in his pockets. As we pulled out of the parking lot, I brushed the fingertips against each other, feeling the tingling sensation within them. My fingers moved down to my palm, noticing a change.

A new line had formed in my hand. I would have to ask Alice about it later. She was my more understanding sister. Looking at my palm, I knew it meant there was a change in my future. Thinking of this and remembering my vision, I felt that somehow Edward was a part of my future. Or was that wishful thinking? Alice was lightly humming in the backseat in a taunting tone. "Oh, be quiet, Tinkerbell!" I snapped. She looked up in mock innocence, "Did I say something?"

I rolled my eyes. Alice leaned forward, "Look, you like him. Admit it?" Rosalie scoffed, "Those who live in glass houses should not throw stones." Alice's smug expression quickly changed, "What are you talking about?" Rosalie looked at her, "You, flirting with Jasper yesterday." Alice's mouth fell open, "Pot, kettle, sister! You were all over Emmett at lunch." Rosalie's lips pursed together, "All right, so we like Emmett and his brothers. Now, can we focus on torturing Sean?"

The mood in the car quickly shifted from laughter and teasing to focus and determination. Our family was hurt and we had to make things right. Pulling into our driveway, the three of us strode into the house, "Esme?" Alice called out. Esme came down the stairs in a black dress. Her arms were exposed with the sleeveless dress, with a high neckline. She stood on the landing, her hands resting lightly on the banister, "Are you ready?" "Yes Mother," we said in unison.

Esme smiled at us, "Follow me." All of us ascended the stairs to the second floor, "Go to your rooms and change. You need to prepare." My sisters and I went to our bedrooms. Esme gently brushed her hand over my hair as I passed her. On my bed, there was a long black dress laid out. The dress was form fitting, with long slits on each side of the dress starting from mid-thigh. On my dresser was my amulet. It was pure silver, holding a blue moon stone. I took off my sun charm and put on my amulet. My sisters were at the top of the winding stairs, both of them in their black dresses and amulets. Rosalie's amulet held a yellow stone and Alice had a red stone.

Going down the back stairs cases that led to the kitchen, Esme was standing by the stove. The kitchen smelled strong of seasonings and herbs, "You girls need to eat something. This will take a lot of strength and energy." There were three steaming bowls of soup for us on the long table. Esme waved her hand and four chairs bragged themselves from the breakfast nook to the long table. The vegetable broth was delicious, as were all of Esme's meals.

After eating dinner, Esme spoke to us in the living room, until it was time. Alice was still a bit nervous about performing such a powerful spell. Esme stroked Alice's cheek and kissed the top of her head, "This is one of the most difficult spells ever performed. This is a very ancient practice and in some places of the world, forbidden." Esme came to hold Rosalie's hand, "But for you girls, I'll see to it that it is done properly. Rosalie, this was a very risky idea, but I know you wanted to do as much as you could to avenge your sister."

Rosalie and I looked at each other and smiled. Esme smiled at the three of us, "My girls, after this, we leave him alone. This will be punishment enough." We nodded, "Alright." The clock chimed midnight. The sound of the bells resonated through the room, striking into my heart, "It's time."

Rosalie led the way to the dining room, where everything was prepared. Taking our seats, Esme went to the fireplace, where a small cauldron hung over the flames. She took the cauldron and placed it on the side table. We watched as she poured the elixir into three small bowls, placing them in front of us. "Burn the thistle and seeds," Esme instructed us. Each of us took a handful of thistle from the center of the table, with a vial of blessing seeds.

Striking matches, the herbs began to burn. Coming to each of us, Esme filled our bowls with the elixir from the cauldron. "Take the ashes, put them in the bowls and inhale deeply." The ashes rested on a white napkin. Folding the corners, I poured them into my bowl. Billows of smoke came from the bowls. Each of us leaned in and inhaled.

The smoke flew into my nose and I gasped. My eyes shot open as my body began to convulse. My sisters were gasping and my teeth chattering. My breath staggered, as my eyes rolled back in my head. My body collapsed back into my chair. In a last deep exhale, I felt my spirit leaving my body. I knew I wasn't alone. Rosalie and Alice were with me. We left our bodies with Esme and we flew into the night, getting revenge.


	8. Flashes

Chapter 8 – Flashes

SPOV

Everything in the room was quiet as I slept. A sudden gust of wind blew into my bedroom. I sat up and saw my window was wide open. Groaning, I pulled my heavy legs out of bed to the window. The cold air was pushing sleep away. Going back to bed, pulled the quiet up to my neck. Today was just a bad day and I had to get over it. Those witches weren't going to bother me. The clock's light glowed, displaying the time; just after midnight.

"Sean," my eyes flashed open as I heard someone calling my name. Nothing in the room was moving. My mind was playing tricks on me. To shut my brain up, I turned on my lamp. I was alone in my room. Exhaling slowly, I rubbed my head, "Long day." I turned off my lamp and tucked myself back under the sheets. Maybe I'll skip school tomorrow. "Sean," there it was again. Getting up again, I tried to turn on my lamp, but it didn't work. I looked around in the dark; no one was there.

More wind blew into my room as my window was open again. My mouth fell open. I wasn't that much asleep. I just closed that window. As the curtains blew, there someone standing behind them. No, it was three people smiling at me. My eyes widening in fear. The tall figure to the left looked to my window and it shut on its own, stopping the wind. The curtain settled and I saw who was in my room. "Bella, Alice, Rosalie."

The Platt sisters? This had to be a dream? The three of them smiled, "Surprise," Alice said in a singsong voice. "Wha… what are you doing here?" Bella stepped closer to my bed, "You disrespected us and we need to teach you a lesson." Goosebumps rose on my skin. I blinked, "It was handled. I said I was sorry." As my eyes adjusted to the dark, I noticed that Bella didn't look solid, none of them did. I could see the wall opposite my bed through them, like they were ghosts.

A scream was building in my chest, when my voice seemed to stop in my throat, "You don't want to wake anybody up," Rosalie whispered. "This will be quick," Bella said. What were they going to do? Poison, hex, sacrifice to their god? My teeth chattered as the three sisters levitated to the ceiling. Their feet were above my bed. My body began to shake, "You _are_ witches! They were right!"

Rosalie sighed, "Sometimes they are. But no one will believe you." Bella's hand took Rosalie's wrist, "Let's get this over with." The apparitions floated closer to my bed, moving closer to each other. Their hands flew out, grasping at my neck. My hands fought against theirs, but I couldn't get a hold on any of them. I felt as if I couldn't breathe. Were they witches or ghosts?

"We bind you, Sean. We bind your tongue so you cannot speak of this. We bind you, Sean. We bind you from doing harm against others and harm against yourself." They repeated that chant repeatedly. "We bind you, Sean. We bind you from doing harm against others and harm against yourself." Their hands released me and the three of them floated away, staring at me. "You are bound," Alice said, "You won't be able to speak of this to anyone and you will believe that this was a dream." My mouth fell open and nothing came out. "But if you speak ill of me or any of my family, you will be bound tighter until _we_ choose release you," Bella warned me.

Alice looked at the window and it opened. "We don't want to have to come back here, because we won't be easy on you," Rosalie warned. Bella sighed and a gust of wind blew into the room and the curtains flew up. As they settled to the floor, the girls were gone and my eyelids were instantly heavy.

BPOV

I was gasping wildly, with my arms trembling as I looked around the room. "Bella, sweetie, breathe deeply," Esme told me. She cupped my face and I nodded. She checked on Rosalie and Alice as I heard them gasping. Esme flew out of the room and came back with a large mug. "You must drink this." I placed my trembling lips on the mug and drank the hot liquid. As I gulped, the liquid flowed down my throat, calming my trembling body. I heard my sisters sighing, as they were calmed too.

Esme brushed her hand over my forehead, brushing away my perspiration, "You did well. All of you." I tried to smile as she kissed my forehead. Esme went to check Rosalie and Alice as I tried to feel my body. I moved my arms and legs successfully, making sure I was completely in my body. I tried to stand, but my legs trembled.

"You won't have your strength for a little while longer. It's alright, I'm here," Esme soothed us. Rosalie exhaled, "It's ok," she whispered. "Shh, don't talk, honey." I closed my eyes, resting my head, smiling to myself. My sisters and I proved that we were strong and were strongest together. The dining room door was opening and closing. There was the smell of soup, "Girls, please eat. Your strength has been really drained." I tried to move again with more success. Leaning against the table, I began eating. My head felt like it was spinning, but the soup was helping. Esme kissed all of our heads, "Tell me about it in the morning. I want you all in bed."

Esme helped each of us prepare for bed. I waited as she helped Alice and Rosalie. Esme came back for me as I rested in my seat. "Put your weight on me, honey," she instructed as we walked up the stairs. She helped me change into my nightgown and tucked my quilt around me, "Just sleep, baby. I know everything worked perfectly," Esme comforted me. "I know," I whispered. Closing my eyes, sleep soon took over.

In my dream, I was with my stranger again. We were on the beach again and I was lying on his chest. His pale fingers were stroking my cheek and his mouth was near my ear, "Bella." My eyes opened and it was morning. I sat up, looking around my room. There was a strange feeling. Was someone in my room? _Knock, knock, knock_. "Come in, Esme." She came into my room was a plate balanced on her hand, "I made you breakfast. You need it." I smiled as she placed the plate on my bedside table. "Do you want me to pick out something for you?" I smiled, "I'm not that weak."

Looking to closet, the doors flew open, "I can get it myself." Esme kissed my forehead, "You know if you need me to come get you from school, I'll be there. You don't have to go, any of you." My hands flew to my amulet, "Rose and Alice said they know and you need to relax and go to work." She sighed, "Fine. Take care of each other," our mother called out.

I ate my breakfast of buttered wheat toast and tea. On my desk, my charmed wasn't in the same place. My eyebrows furrowed. Esme must have checked on us during the night. That would explain the feeling I woke up having. Alice and Rosalie were at the bottom of the stairs; none of us took off our amulets. Rosalie pulled her hair back into a ponytail, wearing blue jeans, a white sweater and sneakers, "Didn't give much thought to what you were going to wear today?" I teased. She nudged me, "Let's go." Rosalie always dressed like a runway model. I guess all have dress down days.

Alice drove to school this time, as Rosalie was still a little weak. She sat in the back seat, leaning her head back on the headrest. "Rose, you don't have to go to school today. We could stay home with you," I offered. She shook her head, "No. Besides, I want to see the look on Sean's face when he sees us." With that, Alice sped up on the way to school.

As we pulled up into the parking lot, the Cullens were leaning against their cars. They were talking, while huddled together. They moved apart as Alice got out of the car. I got out and helped Rosalie. Alice held her bag as she stepped out of the car. Emmett's eyes widened as he saw her. He immediately came over, "What happened?" Rosalie leaned against the car and sighed, "Long night." She staggered and Emmett reached out for her. The way he moved and the look in his eyes, Emmett looked as if he were trying to protect her. Alice gasped and I looked at her.

Jasper was at her side, "Something wrong?" She shook her head and looked at me. I turned and saw Sean's car coming into the parking lot. Edward followed my gaze, "Don't worry about him. He won't hurt you anymore." I looked up at him and smiled, "I know." My sisters and I looked towards Sean and he looked back. His face was terrified and he ran towards the closest school building.

Rosalie smirked, Alice giggled and I smiled, "He won't ever hurt me again." I saw Edward looking towards Sean's direction and his eyebrows were furrowed. I looked up at him and he looked back at me. Looking into each other's eyes, which was only be a moment, seemed to stand still for so long. I blinked, but he didn't. "I better get to class," I stammered. As I walked away from him, it felt wrong. I wanted to be near Edward. Sitting in class, my dream from last night came back to me. I closed my eyes and let it progress.

My stranger took my hand and we walked along the beach. The sun was beginning to rise in the horizon. He gasped and held me closer to him. His hand cupped my cheek. "Bella," he whispered again. I closed my eyes and he leaned closer to me. In the dream, I shivered. Behind my closed lids, there was dancing lights. Opening my eyes, I saw bright lights beaming off my stranger's face. My hands blocked out the light. "Bella, please." I gasped and stepped back from him. "Bella," I saw his hands stretched out towards me.

My eyes flew open and class was being dismissed. Gathering my books, I went to my locker. My dream progressed through the entire class hour. In my locker, I took out my journal and began writing. Students walked by and I ignored them all as I wrote. The late bell rang, but that didn't stop me. "Isabella," someone called me. "Ms. Platt?" the voice grew sterner, but I still ignored it. "Isabella Platt!" I turned to see Ms. Francine calling me. My eyes narrowed looking at the teacher, "Go away," my voice boomed. Ms. Francine froze in her stride. "Leave me alone," I demanded. She turned and walked away, leaving me in the hall alone.

I sighed, putting my journal back into my locker. I went to the library for the rest of the hour. Finding a quiet corner, I held my amulet and meditated on my dream. What was it? My stranger didn't seem human. At night, he looked normal, but in the sunlight, he was clearly different. What if he was two-natured? A being that could pass in the human world, but be of another. Was the world of mystical beings larger than I thought? I've been part of this world for years, but did I know how far this world went? Going through the books in the library, I looked up some references on the two-natured. There was a very limited collection. Time when by and the bell rang and I went to my other classes, until I was able to see my sisters at lunch.

Walking to my usual table, Edward and his brothers were already there. I smiled, "So, I guess this is your table now?" I laughed while setting down a bottle of juice. Edward held out my chair, "No, we're just guarding it for you." I snickered at him.

Sitting, I jumped up gasping and laughing. "I told you she was crazy," Emmett said, mock punching Jasper. I took out my phone, showing it to him, "It was set on vibrate and in my back pocket." I sat down, while checking my messages and Edward was stifling a laugh. My smile began to fade, "Oh boy. Alice's taking Rose home." Emmett leaned closer to me, "Is she alright?" I looked up, "Yea, she just needs to rest. But…." I sighed, "This does mean something else."

I bit my lip. Edward's hand was on my back, "What's wrong?" I closed my eyes; his finger was smooth on my back, "I have to walk home." Edward chuckled, "I'll take you home." Smiling at him, my dream flashed at me. My stranger's cool arm holding me. My mind quickly changed the thought, "Thanks. I owe you, again."

After school, Edward walked me to his car. Emmett was leaning against his truck, talking with Jasper. Walking towards them, a shock ran through my body. My foot stopped in mid-stride and my eyes widened. Something was wrong. "Bella? Bella, what's the matter?" Edward was holding my arms. I blinked and shock my head, "I'm not sure." I took out my phone and called Alice. The phone rang twice, "Bella, I have to take Rose to the hospital."

My eyes widened and my knees began to buckle. Edward caught me, his arm around my waist, "What is it?" I exhaled in a huff, "Rosalie," I whispered. Emmett's head jerked towards us, "Bella, what's is it?" I blinked, "I have to get to the hospital. It's Rosalie."


	9. At Last

Chapter 9 – At Last

"Come on, Bella." Edward towed me to his car, sitting me in the passenger seat. I grasped my phone, waiting for Esme to call. This is all my fault. If I hadn't gone with Rosalie's idea for the spell of astro-projection, she would be fine. No, she _is_ fine. I can feel it, from my amulet and most importantly, my heart. My sister would be fine.

In the blink of an eye, I looked up and we were at the hospital, "Bella?" I sighed, "Oh, thank you. Thank you so much." I leaned in and kissed his cheek. Jumping out of the car, I ran into the building to the front desk. "Rosalie Platt?" asking the receptionist. The middle-aged woman looked up and she began flipping through pages, "I'm sorry, but you cannot see her until you mother arrives." I gawked at her, "Why the hell not? She's my sister. Where is she?" Edward came up to the desk, "Hello Melanie." The receptionist smiled, "Oh, hello Edward."

I looked up at him with panicked eyes and he only smiled back, "Please, let Bella see her sister. We don't know when her mother is going to get here. Don't let poor Rosalie wake up alone in a strange room." He smiled brightly at her. Her gaze became softer, "Alright, she's in room 508. I'll send her mother there as soon as she gets here."

Edward guided me down the hall. "How'd you do that?" He smiled again, "It's all about who you know." Emmett and Jasper were right behind us as I rushed down the hall. It seemed to stretch on and on with every step. My heart sprinted in my chest, waiting to get to Rosalie. Finally, we reached her room. Edward and his brothers waited as I threw the door open. She wasn't alone.

Looking over her was a tall, paler man. He looked at me with familiar gold eyes. I stood still in the doorway, looking at the blond-haired man. Emmett's voice brought me out of my trance, "Carlisle, how is she?" The anxiety in his voice matched my own. The doctor smiled, "She'll be fine. She had a fainting spell at home and her sister brought her in." Alice leaned around the doctor, "Bell!" I sighed and went by Rosalie's bedside. She smiled as I hugged her, "Rose, I'm so sorry. This is all my fault." Rosalie pinched my arm, "No it wasn't. Don't worry." Rosalie and I smiled at each other.

I looked back and the doctor was talking with Edward and his brothers. Edward looked at me, "I'm sorry. Bella, this is our father, Carlisle Cullen." The doctor smiled, "Carlisle, this is Bella Platt and you've met her sisters." "Bella," the doctor held out his hand, "it's lovely to meet you. My son has told me a lot about you." I took his hand, "It's nice to meet you too." It was flattering that Edward was talking about me to his father. "How is my sister? Really?"

He smiled a beautiful smile, much like Edward's, "She's fine, like I said before. Alice said she passed out at home. She panicked a little and brought her here. Trust me, Rosalie suffered from minor exhaustion. She just has to stay here overnight for observation. Rosalie will be just fine." I exhaled deeply, "Thank you so much." My guilt quickly disappeared as I learned that Rosalie was fine. Edward and his brothers left with their father.

Alice watched the door as it closed, "Is that a doctor or a male-model?" Rosalie laughed, "Tell me about it. I was wondering if this was a joke. He is too handsome and too young to be a doctor." I sat beside her on the bed, "I know, but look at his sons. Adopted or not, they have to be related in some way."

I stayed in the hospital for the rest of the night, ignoring my own rest. Esme arrived an hour after I did. "Rosalie!" Esme asked walking into the room. Alice and I were speaking with Rosalie. Esme threw herself at Rosalie, "Honey, what happened?" Dr. Cullen came into the room, checking on Rosalie. When he saw Esme, his eyebrow arched; like he was impressed with her. Esme looked up at him with the same expression. Their eyes met and it was silent for a moment.

Dr. Cullen blinked, "I'm Dr. Carlisle Cullen and Rosalie will be just fine," he spoke hesitantly. A smile twitched on Esme's lips, "Dr. Cullen? You must be Edward, Emmett and Jasper's father. They told me about you." Esme and the doctor shook hands, lingering for a moment. Rosalie, Alice and I smirked at each other, watching our mother playing coy. They spoke quietly with each other as he told her about Rosalie's condition. Esme smiled as Dr. Cullen left.

It was after 10 in the evening, as I was sitting in the hallway. While reading my copy of Wuthering Heights, someone sat next to me. "I thought you might need this," Edward was holding out a cup of hot chocolate. "Edward? What are you doing here?" He smiled, "Here, take it," and he pushed the cup into my hand. "Thanks." "You're welcome. Where's Alice?" I sighed, "She left after a couple of hours." He huffed, "What a wimp." I giggled, "Yea. She went home with Esme. They're bringing back some clothes for me and Rose. What are you doing here?" The hot chocolate was perfect. My eyes opened, "How did you know I like mint in my hot chocolate?" He smiled a crooked smile as he looked at the floor, "Wild guess."

I took another drink, "So, what are you doing here, really?" Edward clasped his hands, "Carlisle's working late and he mentioned you were still here. I was worried about you worrying about your sister." I blushed and looked away, "You didn't have to do this." "Bella, it's fine." I bit my lip and turned my body towards him, "Edward, you met me like two weeks ago. So far, you kept from killing Sean, impressed my mom, charmed my sisters, brought me to the hospital to see my sister, and now, you made a late night hot chocolate run for me. You're so sweet. I really owe you a lot. I have to find a way to re-pay you."

Edward patted my arm, "Bella, stop." We stared at each other for a long time and his hand never left my arm. "Bella," he whispered my name. Edward looked away from me and sighed, "I must tell you. I feel very strongly about you." I blinked, "What? But we just met." He sighed and looked at me again. His eyes were smoldering, "I know. But from the day I met you, I had to be near you. When Sean was telling my brothers and I about you and your sisters, I didn't believe him. You and your sisters seemed so kind. Too different from the way he was describing you."

He exhaled slowly; his breath blowing into my face. Goosebumps rose on my arm, inhaling. His eyes were liquid pools of pure gold. I gasped suddenly, "I'm sorry, Edward. I need to check on Rose. Please, could you give me a minute?" He nodded, "Of course," and her gestured for me to proceed. I went into Rosalie's room and leaned against the back of her door. My body was trembling.

With Edward, all my dreams flashed in my mind. My stranger's face was becoming more defined. In the dream, my stranger's eyes were gold. His chin was chiseled and defined. His hair was bronze and his lips were full. I exhaled deeply; my stranger looked exactly like Edward. I slid down to the floor and wrapped my arms around my legs, letting my forehead rest on my knees.

I thought back to that first dream, when I was in the arms of my stranger with the crest on his wrist. Looking up, I remember something about the Edward and his brother; they all wore matching wristbands. I got to my feet. I had to get a better look at Edward's band. Opening the door, he was gone. I looked down the hall, searching and he wasn't there. I closed back the door and went to sit by Rosalie's bedside. She was sound asleep and didn't stir from my entrance. I thought back to the crest from my dream; the hand, the lion and the three shamrocks. If Edward wore that crest, he _is_ what I've waiting for.

There was a gentle knock on the door. My body stood up and my fingers raked through my hair nervously. Opening the door, Edward waited for me. "My dad is ready to go." I nodded, "Ok," in a low voice. Rosalie was fast asleep. "Thank you." Edward brushed his fingers along my cheekbone, leaving a trail of cool fire under my skin, "I'll see you tomorrow." My eyes were dazed as he walked away. Closing the door slowly, I lowered myself into the armchair next to Rosalie's bed. My eyes fell on the cabin across the room and a spare blanket spread itself over my body. Edward's touch was still cool, but it left me burning inside. Rosalie's hand brushed over my hair, "Go to sleep, B. You'll think clearly in the morning." I did as my older sister instructed.

The sun began to rise in the sky. The light was brightening behind my closed eyes. There were no strange dreams, just the reoccurring picture of Edward touching my face. Someone kissed my forehead. My eyes opened and saw something pale. Blinking wildly, my eyes focused. My excitement built, but they fell as I saw it was Esme, wearing a beige turtleneck sweater. I feigned a smile, "Hey, is she awake?" Esme shook her head, "The doctor's about to come in. I think we can bring her home today."

Looking at my watch, it was just after 7am. Esme was folding Rosalie's clothes as Dr. Cullen came into the room. He looked as perfect as he did yesterday, "Mrs. Platt, Bella." Esme smiled as she folded Rosalie's sweater, "Good morning, Dr. Cullen." My arms stretched in front of me as the memories of last night came back. Edward was here last night. He told me that his father was working late and now he's back at work so early. That's a dedicated doctor.

Rosalie began to stir as she woke up. She groaned, "These beds are so uncomfortable." I laughed, "These chairs aren't any better." The chair I slept in double for a lounge chair. I watched as Dr. Cullen checked Rosalie. Some strange emotions were coming off Esme, as she watched Dr. Cullen. She wouldn't, or maybe couldn't, take her eyes off him. Dr. Cullen asked Rosalie some questions as he checked her temperature.

As he wrote on his clipboard, I noticed the large ring on his right hand. His hand moved so quickly that I couldn't completely see the symbol on the ring. "Rosalie, everything seems to be fine here," Dr. Cullen dropped his hand and I catch a better sight of the ring. "Your family can take you home." In the center of the oval face was a lion. A lion that symbolizes ferocity and courage. Dr. Cullen looked back at me and I smiled sheepishly, "It was lovely to see you again, Bella. I hope to see you again soon."

I sighed, "Thank you, Dr. Cullen." I bit my lip, "And I'm sorry Edward was here so late." He smiled, "Yes, he wanted to apologize for leaving so abruptly last night, but he's at school today with his brothers." I smiled, "Oh, I understand. Thank you." Dr. Cullen shook Esme's hand again, both of them smiling brightly at each other; "Thank you, Doctor, so much." He didn't release her hand, "Please, call me Carlisle."

Rosalie and I looked at each other from the corner of our eyes, trying to hide our smiles. "If you have any questions or concerns about Rosalie, please don't hesitate to call me," he offered. Esme's smile widened, "Of course." Dr. Cullen left and Esme spun around glowering at us, "I heard that." My eyes widened, "I didn't say anything," fighting a smirk. Rosalie giggled, "Well, Mom's got game." Esme's teeth clinched together. Rosalie laughed, "I'm going to get dressed." Esme snorted, "Whatever."

I tried to calm the situation, "Where's Alice?" "She went to school. Someone had to let your friends know that Rosalie's fine." Esme used a bit more energy to focus on folding Rosalie's clothes and packing her bag. I bent down to tie Rosalie's shoes, as she still wasn't completely healthy. Dr. Cullen said she would experience some light-headedness from time to time, but there was no need for her to stay in the hospital any longer.

Walking Rosalie to the car, I knew, at least, Emmett would come by the house to see her. The rain poured on the drive home. Rosalie slept on our way home. She was still a little tired. Once we were in front of the house, Esme made an umbrella levitate over our heads. "Come on, Rose," Esme helped her from the car and I carried her bag. The front door opened at my command. "I get some rose wine for you. That'll help," I offered. Rosalie beamed, "Great, thanks." Rosalie and Esme went upstairs and I went to the kitchen to get the wine for Rosalie. Our rose wine was very different from the common kind.

We took the petals of roses and healing herbs, boiled them and letting it settle in the heat. Drinking it, the wine would help with anything that ailed you. "I can take it," Esme took the wine from me. I went to the backyard to clip some flowers for Rosalie's room. The rain lightened up quickly and was gone while we were in the house.

Our wall of roses was in full bloom, thanks to Alice. It was the time of year for roses and we loved them. Alice had a Mother Nature's touch when it came to flowers. My small basket rested on the ground next to me, while I clipped several roses. Holding one in my hand, I clipped the stem, when someone cleared their throat. My body froze, not sensing anyone coming near me. I stood, holding the rose in my hand, "Edward?" He was standing in the greenhouse doorway, looking at me, "Hi. Heard Rosalie made it home." I huffed a breath of relief, "Yes. What are you doing here?" He stepped toward me, "Emmett wanted to see Rosalie. Your mom invited us in." "Oh, yea, she would do that."

Edward and I looked into each other's eyes. I sighed quietly and a breeze blew through the garden, making a strand of my hair blow into my face. Edward reached out and tucked the strand behind my ear. In that moment, everything froze. I dreamt this. He was my stranger, the one I've dreamed about for the past month. He was the one coming to me.

"I'm sorry," I said blinking, "I was picking roses for Rosalie's room. They're her favorite." He took the rose out of my hand and his skin caressed my own, "That's very sweet of you." I smiled, "Thanks. Would you like to see our greenhouse?" He nodded, "Sure. You have quite a selection in here." I turned to pick up my basket, but Edward's hand beat me, taking it up. He walked with me into the greenhouse. The air was thick in here as the plants grew. "Just put it on the middle table." Edward complied, then picked up a glass jar. He shook the contents as he examined it with his eyes, "Belladonna?"

I looked back, taking a vase down, "Yes. We use it to calm the nerves." I leaned closer to him, "And sometimes we use it on Esme when she's driving us nuts." He laughed and I inhaled the scent of his breath. "You know, it's also known as 'deadly nightshade.' It could be used as a poison." My eyebrows rose, "I know, so we don't use a lot of it."

Edward placed the jar down and I saw the same crest on his wrist. Without thinking, I took his hand, taking a better look. Edward flinched, "Sorry." I looked up at him, "It just looked familiar." He let me hold his hand, "It's fine. You probably saw it on Carlisle's ring." I looked up from underneath my lashes, "Yes," I answered, "what is it?"

He smiled, "Our family's crest. It's been in Carlisle's family for centuries and we continue the tradition." Looking at the crest, this confirmed everything. Edward was the one I was waiting for.


	10. Coming Together

Chapter 10 – Coming Together

After Rosalie's return home, Emmett doted over her; making sure she was as comfortable as possible. He had taken to picking her up every morning to take her to school. Edward would follow in his car to me up and Alice drove with Jasper in Rosalie's car. At school, the six of were inseparable. There were some whispers that my sisters and I put a spell over the Cullens. I scoffed as I overheard Lauren and her followers whispering about my family. Lauren looked at me and I smiled, "If you must know, I did cast a spell over Edward. It's called being a woman. I lured him in with my natural feminine ways. Something you know nothing about." Some of her friends snickered as I walked away.

At lunch, Edward and his brothers invited us to a charity ball for the hospital, "It's the Black & White Masquerade Ball." Alice beamed, "That sounds like fun. What do you two think?" My smile began to grow slowly, trying to keep down my excitement, "I'd love to go. Where do we get our masks?" Edward smiled, happy from my acceptance of his invitation, "My brothers and I have ours, so you need to go to the hospital to get yours." Alice drew small circles on the tabletop with her main finger, "Ok, we can…"

My hand caught hers quickly, "No, that won't be necessary. Trust me, Alice," she was going to counter my argument, "it won't be." Placing her palm to mine, Alice saw what I wanted and smiled brightly. She tried to hide her smile and fail. Looking back at Edward, his eyebrows were furrowed for a moment.

Being closer to him, I notice Edward did that a lot, especially when my sisters and I communicated in our secret way. When he noticed me looking, he simply smiled a breath-taking smile, almost making me forget about what I was thinking. Edward was the only person that could dazzle me. He and I never declared it, but I thought of myself as his girlfriend. How could I not? Driving me to and from school, spending almost every afternoon and my house and he charmed my mother and sisters.

During Biology, Edward told me more about his family. Carlisle was from England, Emmett was from Tennessee and Jasper was from Texas. Smiling at his story, he added another piece of the puzzle; all of them came from the East. I noticed some things about Edward and his brothers. Today, their eyes weren't gold, but rather pitch black. Were the Cullens two-natured?

After Edward and his brothers dropped us off at home and spending a few hours with in our home, I went into Esme's study and began looking through her books. Sitting at her desk, I looked for more information on the two-natured. My knowledge of the topic was limited. I knew that they were beings that could pass in the human world, but are of a different world.

"Bella?" I looked up, "Hi Esme." Her expression was curious as she crossed the room, "What are you doing, dear?" I sighed, "I need to ask you something." Esme sat down on her couch, "What is it?" I didn't know how to start, but that couldn't slow me, "What is two-natured?" Esme cocked her head to the side, "The two-natured?" I nodded.

She shot her eyebrows up for a moment, "Well, for the lack of a better example, us." That shocked me, "Us?" Esme looked to at the book on my desk and the pages began to flutter, until the book closed, "Yes. We're two-natured. We live in the human world, but we're part of another powerful, secret world." She walked over to her desk, "Sweetheart, I searched for you and your sisters. My first vision was of Rosalie. I saw a child with golden hair and eyes of water, Rosalie. When I met Rosalie, she was her usual sassy self." I laughed once and so did she, "But, she was very comfortable with me. Rosalie wanted to live with me, because she knew I could best help her."

My eyes narrowed, "I didn't know that." Esme nodded, "She was afraid of her power. After I took her home, Rosalie and I worked on her abilities. She's always been grateful for that. Then in my second vision, I saw a girl with deep eyes and flowing dark hair," she cupped my chin, "but she was very young and alone. Her family died before she could meet them." My eyes closed, remembering the day I saw Esme. "That's when I found you in the orphanage. You weren't afraid of your abilities, but rather, using them. You saw me too." I nodded slowly. Esme began to smile proudly, "And, if you recall, I didn't see Alice. You did."

I laughed once. "You see," her tone was gentle and loving, "You girls were meant to by my daughters and each others' sisters. For me to teach, train and protect you. And for the three of you to bond and grow together." Esme sighed as she looked at the picture of three little girls, smiling as they went down a slide together, "Bella, blood flows in our views, but not just that. There's a power within us, making us somewhat more than humans. My dear, the two-natured are beings like us. We pass in the human world, but we belong to another."

I bit my lip from that flood of information and memories, "What other beings are two-natured?" Esme shrugged as she set the picture back on the desk, "Witches," she gestured her hand between me and her, "shape-shifters?" My eyebrows furrowed in confusion. She continue, "Werewolves and vampires." I looked up at her, "Vampires?" She nodded and I scoffed, "They exist." "Yes, like witches and werewolves, oh my."

I laughed, "Ok, how do vampires pass in the human world?" She brushed her fingers through my hair, pulling it into a braid, "The same way we do. They look like humans, except they're very beautiful. In some places, vampire men only prey on beautiful women. But a very distinct physical feature of a vampire is their eyes." "Their eyes?" I asked questioningly. Esme continued to braid my hair, "Vampires have blood-red eyes. I've always thought it's kind of symbolic of their diet of human blood."

Goosebumps rose on my skin, trying to imagine someone with blood-red eyes. Esme finished with my hair. The long braid fell against my back. "Here," Esme held out her hand and the desired book flew into her hand, "Read this. It's all about the two-natured, describing each of us and the warning signs. The section on witches is actually quite funny, but the rest of it is true enough. Come to think of it, maybe if I were a vampire or werewolf, I would find those sections funny."

I smiled up at her, "Thanks." She kissed the top of my head, "What brought this on anyway?" I shrugged, "History class. Ms. Carol mentioned the two-natured. We're studying the Salem Witch trials." Esme rolled her eyes, "Those poor people. They were nothing more than wiccans and women who enjoyed dancing in the woods at night. The witch trials were nothing but justified mobs," she laughed. I began to flip through the book, "Come on, it's time for dinner."

Reading Esme's book, I focused on the section about vampires. Other physical traits were hard, cold skin. Thinking back, Edward's hands were cold when he touched me. And when I kissed his cheek in the car, I was too concerned for Rosalie to notice how hard his skin was under my lips. Vampires were also inhumanly fast and superiorly strong. Also, the book spoke of how some vampires had special abilities.

Closing the book, I tossed it onto my desk. I sat in bed, looking out my balcony doors. Was Edward truly two-natured, as I was? Part of me hoped he was, but what if he was another being? I shook my head and sighed. More lavender oil burned in my room, hoping for a restful night.

Lying in bed, my eyes watched the shadows of the trees dancing on my ceiling until I fell asleep. In my dreams, I was in my room, sleeping in bed. But my room was different. Trees were the walls and their thick canopy was the ceiling. My bed was made of twisting branches that held the soft mattress. I wore a long white dress. The skirt swirled around me as I lay in the center of the bed. _Bella_. A voice whispered my name, but it wasn't my stranger. In the dream, the shadow of a hand crept up my bed towards my neck.

I sat up in shock from my dream. The balcony doors flew open. Sweat matted at my hair. My fingers fumbled to pull out the braid Esme made. Cool air brushed against my hot skin as I sat in my bed. I looked around my room slowly; someone was here. Getting out of the bed, I pulled on my robe. I stood on my balcony, looking out into the night. The winds were strong.

I closed my eyes, trying to focus, but the winds didn't stop. That was strange. Opening my eyes, something white drifted through the trees. I stepped back inside, "Whatever you are, I'm not afraid of you," I whispered. I closed my doors and locked them. Listening for any noises in the house; my mother and sisters were sound asleep.

Going to my desk, I picked up my amulet, while holding my protection charm. I held each of them in my hands. I clasped my fingers around them and squeezing the two charms into my palms. Exhaling, I pressed the objects together, merging them into one. In my hands, my amulet changed into a golden sun, with a bluestone center. This will protect and strengthen me. This dream was unnerving, more so than my recent ones. Something was coming and it was coming to harm me. I won't allow it. I wore my new amulet and prepared myself for what was coming. For this, I wouldn't concern my family.

On the afternoon of the charity masquerade at the hospital, my family and I were getting ready. Dr. Cullen extended an invitation to Esme as his guest. My sisters and I teased her until she silenced us, taking our voices. Her amulet glowed as it contained mine, Rosalie and Alice's voices, "You will get them back before we leave."

My sisters and I dressed in silence for the masquerade. I helped Rosalie with her hair, braiding it, then wrapping it into a bun. For Esme hair, she wore it in curls, pinned against her head. Alice wore her hair open, flowing over the right side of her face. My hair was in curls, letting them flow down my back. For our masks, we made our own. Rosalie's was a peacock; the mask was turquoise and green, with three peacock feathers at the top. Esme was a tiger; the mask was stripped at an angle of orange and black, with black and orange feathers at the top of it. Alice was a cat; the mask was black with decorative patterns and cat ears. And I was a butterfly; the mask was in the shape of a butterfly, with black and blue patterns. There was a medium size opaque gem in the center of the mask, between my eyebrows. All of our masks had rods attached to them, so that we could hold them up to our faces.

As we pulled up to the hospital, Esme gave us back our voices. The stream of mist flowed into my mouth and I sighed, hearing my voice again. "Not one word when we see Carlisle and his sons," Esme warned. "Yes, Mother," we said in unison. Getting out of the car, each of us wore black ankle length coats. The event was held in the state park, under several large silk tents. Each family was announced as they entered the floor.

The whole party was under large white tents. Everything was covered in white. There were white silk coverings on the seats, with large black bows. The table clothes were black lace, over white solid clothes. The plates were white, with black chargers. Between the plates, were low zebra patterned lit candles in glasses. Black napkins were decoratively folded in water goblets. The centerpieces were tall crystal vases, filled with black and white marbles. Strings of lights hung along the walls. There was an arch of black and white balloons over the entrance. The three support beams of the tent had swirls of faux white flowers. Over the center of the dance floor, was a large glass chandelier, covered with sheer white lace, setting it in a low light.

Entering the party, we removed our coats, "Introducing Mrs. Esme Platt and her daughters, Rosalie, Isabella and Alice." Everyone looked at us, some surprised that we were there. Our family stood out because everyone was dressed in black and white and we weren't. Rosalie wore a turquoise mini dress. She wore black open toed shoes, with turquoise feathers attached to the top. Esme wore a tiger printed mid-calf length, with tiger print pumps. Alice wore a silver mid thigh dress, with silver shoes, that had black gems along the heel. I wore a midnight blue knee length dress, with matching blue pumps. My sisters and I smirked at each other. "We dared to be different," Alice laughed.

We walked to a vacant table, smiling and holding up our masks. Partygoers whispered about our blatant disregard for the ball's theme. Rosalie blew a kiss to strangers as we walked by. I laughed as my eyes locked with the stunned masked man. It was fun sometimes being the most scandalous family in town. Walking across the floor, four men were looking at us. They were wearing black and white suits. I recognized Carlisle in his mask. Carlisle's mask was stripped like Esme's tiger mask, but it was black and white, like a white tiger. All their masks were banded behind their heads, like Carlisle's. Carlisle was wearing a white blazer, with a black shirt and pants. Emmett's mask was a bear, Jasper's was a fox and Edward. I blinked; his was golden brown like a lion.

I gasped, "Rosalie's chart," I whispered. My sisters and mother stood with me and followed my gaze. Each of them broke into smiles as the Cullens came towards us. This is what my dreams meant. The Cullens were coming to us. Edward took my hand, "Bella, you look amazing." I smiled, "Thank you and you look very handsome." He pulled out my chair at the intimately lit table and held my attention.

Carlisle and Esme began whirling out on to the dance floor. I smiled as the two tigers in each other's arms. There was something in Carlisle's gaze that I couldn't ignore when he looked at her. Edward held out his hand, "Would you like to dance?" I hesitated, "I'm not very good." He took my hand, "I am." Being in Edward's arms, whirling around, I felt something I never did before. Alice and Rosalie were dancing with Emmett and Jasper; each of us whirling along with Carlisle and Esme.

The feeling I was experiencing made me smile. My eyes closed as Edward guided me flawlessly along the dance floor. Edward's hands were strong holding my body. I looked up to see him smiling at me, "Thank you for coming." "Thank you for inviting me." Edward held me closer to him, "I'm sorry for scaring you at the hospital." I blinked, "You didn't. You were telling me the truth." He smiled at me. "Edward, you know I care about you too."

Edward and I spent the evening dancing and speaking. We leaned closely together, smiling and talking. Rosalie and Alice were the same way with Emmett and Jasper. "Uh-oh," my eyes were locked across the room. "What's the matter?" Edward looked at me with concern. I smiled and jutted my chin in the direction I was looking, "I think you may be my new brother." He followed my gaze. Carlisle and Esme were close together and he was caressing her cheek. Alice gasped as Carlisle leaned closer to Esme, catching her lips with his.

Rosalie was right. The bear was coming to her, Emmett. A tiger was coming for Esme, Carlisle. A fox was coming for Alice, Jasper. And a lion was coming for me, Edward. Edward was my stranger and Carlisle, Jasper and Emmett were my family's strangers. Thinking to myself, I thought of the night was cast the circle of protection around the house. Esme asked for earthly protectors and I believe the Cullens were them.


	11. Noticing

Chapter 11 – Noticing

The week following the charity masquerade, Esme spent her afternoons with Carlisle. She came home smiling every night and some nights, with a bouquet of fresh cut flowers. The following weekend was Alice's birthday party. Despite the weather, she wanted a fifties themed party. Esme spared no expense getting everything for Alice. Rosalie and I made our contribution by making it unseasonably warm for the party. To change the weather was a tricky thing. It had to appear natural. We summoned a warm front from the south some time ago, so it would arrive in time.

The backyard was perfectly decorated. Alice insisted on doing the decorations herself. Pink and black balloons hung from the branches. A rented jute-box played fifties music. Rectangular tables lined one side of the yard, with food, snacks and dessert. The serving staff stood on the other side of the table, dressed as the characters from Grease. Rosalie was setting a tray of sandwiches down, dressed in her leather off the shoulder shirt and leather pants. Her hair was pinned up in curls, just like Sandy.

I wore the traditional purple poodle skirt, with an outline of a white poodle on the leash. Alice wore the same poodle skirt, only hers was pink with a black poodle. She wore the small neck scarf and fake cat glasses. Esme wore black capris with a tight red sweater. Guests began to arrive, walking around the house. Alice greeted everyone as the guests entered the party. More people came than I thought. Curious to see the mysterious Platt home. To my surprise, Lauren Mallory and her clique of friends arrived, dressed in the fifties costumes. Alice was nicer than Rosalie and myself as they entered.

The music mixed between fifties and modern music. I was busy sorting Alice's gifts on the table as someone placed a large box on the table. A hand rested on my back, "May I have this dance?" My face turned red as Edward took my hand. He wore black jeans, a white t-shirt and a black leather jacket. "I was just thinking about you," I confessed. "I know." Fifties music played and Edward expertly danced to it. Relaxing, he swung my legs on either side of his body. I laughed as he stood me on my feet, "Commit that to memory, because I will never me doing that again."

Carlisle and Esme stood on the veranda watching the party. He dressed in a suit from the fifties and it looked brand new. Bella, could you look for some candles? Rosalie asked. "I'll be right back," I told Edward. Going into the house, there was the sense that someone was inside and they weren't part of my family. Looking through the rooms, there were whispered voices coming from the parlor.

Three girls were inside, looking over our family's book. "I knew it," one said. Another huffed, "We take this and it'll prove they're witches." The other looked around, "What do you think will happen to them?" The second laughed, "Maybe they'll be burned at the stake." _Alice, Rosalie, Esme, come quickly_.

Not waiting for them, I pushed the door open, "What are you doing in here?" The three girls, who I recognized as Monica Baker, Alexandria Thomas and Lisa Withers froze. Lisa froze, while Alexandria bit her lip. Monica held the book in her hands, unable to hide the evidence. They broke the lock on the display case. Monica sniffed, "What is this?" she showed the book-cover. My eyebrows pulled together, "It's called a 'family heirloom.' It's been in my family for centuries. That's why it was in a _locked_ case." Monica opened the book, "Really? It looks like a spell book to me." She flipped through the pages. My arms folded, "Oh and you've read a lot of spell books lately?"

Monica's scowl deepened, "I knew it. You are a witch and I'm going to tell everyone." I scoffed, "Honey, they've been saying that for years. Come up with something new." Rosalie stepped into the room, "What the hell is going on here?" Lisa gasped, "No, now there's two of them." Alice and Esme stepped into the room, "Four." Esme slide the doors closed. The three girls began to tremble, clearly afraid of us. Esme huffed, "Alice, go back to the party. I won't let this ruin your birthday. Your sisters and I will take care of this." Alice smirked, "Now, you're in trouble. Esme's the head witch."

Alice left the room and returned to her birthday party. Esme crossed the room and snatched the book away from Monica. She opened the book, "So, you think me and my daughters are witches." She turned several pages as she stood between me and Rosalie. I looked over the book, "Well, this is quite annoying. I'm tired of being harassed by you small-minded, back-wood, know-nothing people." She turned a page and smiled, "Perfect, as usual." She closed the book and handed it to Rosalie.

Alexandria and Lisa were holding hands. Lisa tugged at Monica's hand, trying to pull her back. "So, your punishment is," Esme began, "this." She held her hands up, "Some are evil, some are kind." Her body swayed from side to side and Rosalie and I joined her, "Now they all must speak their mind." Rosalie and I began to chant the spell three times, "Some are evil, some are kind. Now they all must speak their mind." A blue light filled the room and washed over the intruding girls.

As the light faded, the girls were in a trance. Esme walked over to them, "Tonight, you will inform your parents that you broke into my study and tried to steal my family heirloom. When you heard someone in the kitchen, you ran through the front door and went back to the party. You will ask your parents to call me and you will volunteer to clean my front and back yards for a month to help pay for the damages to the display case. Do you understand?"

The three of them nodded. Esme folded her arms, "Good, now go back to the party and don't set foot in my house this night again." The three of them walked away silently. Esme sighed heavily. She held out her hand and the large book floated back to its case. The girls' fingerprints remained on the case. Esme intended on finding the display case broken and called the police. She smiled at us, "Now, let's go sing Alice 'Happy birthday.' Come on."

At school, students talked about the break-in at our house. Alexandria, Lisa and Monica apologized to us. Rosalie looked at them, "Fine, but don't be late this afternoon." Edward looked at them as they walked away, "I can't believe they actually confessed." I shrugged, "Their prints were on the case. Confusing reduced their punishment. They caught Esme on a good day."

School was over and my sisters and I were at our lockers. Alice's eyes were on me, "Bella, what happened to your amulet?" My hand caught the swing amulet around my neck. I shrugged, "I had a dream that scared me, so I merged the amulet with the protection charm. If you like, I could do the same for you. That dream really made me nervous. I did it as an extra precaution," I offered. Alice pulled on her jacket, "I think you should…" she looked up, "Hi Jasper," she greeted him brightly.

"Hello Edward." A hand caressed the small of my back, "You have got to tell me how you do that?" I smiled up at him, curling my fingers on the collar of his jacket, "It doesn't take a genius. Once Jasper showed up, I knew you wouldn't be far behind." He hugged me, "Of course." Edward took my hand, opened an umbrella and walked me to his car. His breath blew into my hair as we walked together. "Have I told you how beautiful you looked at the masquerade?" "Not lately," I sniffed.

He pulled me closer to him, "You looked breath-taking in your dress." My cheeks burned red from his compliment. "And you looked handsome in your suit." "But you stood out, in your blue gown. That was a lovely color on you." He held open his car door open for me, "Are you alright?" I brushed his face and he stopped my hand, "I'm fine."

Edward's eyes were black as night. _His eyes will be of black and gold_, the line came from nowhere, but I knew what it meant. I would think about that later. Edward was silent as he drove out of the parking lot. I didn't need my abilities to know there was something on his mind. "What is it?" He inhaled, "Bella, my brothers and I are going away this weekend with Carlisle." My heart stuttered for a moment, "Really?" His hand rose, to stroke my cheek, "We'll be back Sunday evening, so it won't be long."

I smiled sheepishly, "And you thought that I was going to miss you so much, that I was going to plead with you not to go." He smiled as he looked out the windshield, "No, but that might be interesting to see." I folded my arms in mock irritation, "That is beneath me, sir." I couldn't stop my own laughter, "What are you doing?" We were at my house already. He opened my car door for me, "Hiking, we do it every other weekend."

Inside the house, I walked into the living room. While Edward hung up our coats, my eyes fell on the logs in the fireplace, igniting them. Standing by the mantle, I watched as the flames spread. Fingers pulled through my ponytail, "We you that cold?" I shook my head, "No, I just love fires." Edward continued to play with my hair, "How'd you get the fire started so fast?" I bit my lip. It was all too easy to be comfortable with Edward. "That's how we have it set up," I lied quickly, "It's started by gas and the flames keep going with the wood."

I took his hand and guided him to the couch. The two of us talked about his upcoming hiking trip. He and his brothers would have their wrestling matches and Edward was looking forward to knocking Emmett into a pond. Rosalie and Emmett came into the room. His arms were around her waist and walking her backwards in the room, "Whoops, sorry. Didn't mean to disturb you two."

He towed Rosalie to the greenhouse. My head shook, watching after them, "How do you deal with him?" Edward chuckled, "The same way you deal with Rosalie." My head rested on his shoulder, "True." Soon, Alice and Jasper came into the living room, "Sorry. I was just getting something." Alice danced through the living room. Edward looked up at Jasper and nodded slightly. I pretended not to notice it. _Bella, have you seen my Renaissance art book? _I picked it up off the coffee table, _Here it is_.

Alice whirled around, "You read my mind. Thanks, Bell." Edward watched after Alice as she and Jasper left. "Something wrong?" He looked back to me with confused eyes, "Nothing." After the room was warm enough, Edward and I began on our homework in front of the fire. He pulled the blanket out from under the couch and held my hand as I moved down to the floor.

"Bella, it's your turn to cook dinner," Rosalie called. "Thank you," I called back, my voice heavy with annoyance. Edward chuckled, "Would you like some help?" I sighed, "No, it's fine." I got up and went to the kitchen, with Edward right behind me. My hand rested on his chest, "Seriously, you don't have to." He took my hand, "I want to." Goosebumps rose on my skin and my knees wobbled. How does he do that? In the kitchen, Emmett and Jasper were sitting on by the long table, while Rosalie and Alice were pulling pots and pans out.

Walking past them, I noticed all of their eyes were black. Huh, the book said vampires' eyes turned black when they were thirsty. Were my sisters and I in danger? No, if they meant us harm, then they wouldn't be able to pass through the circle of protection around the house.

While cooking, Alice asked the guys about their upcoming hiking trip. "Mount Rainer. Carlisle says it's a pretty good place to hike." "Rose, pass the cover," I held out my hand. When she brushed my skin and felt my concern. Rosalie looked at me and I shook my head. Mt. Rainer was known to have bear problems.

While chopping vegetables, my head snapped up; Esme was home. "Do you guys want to stay?" Rosalie offered. I looked up, knowing they were going to decline. "Sorry, not tonight," Jasper spoke up for his brothers.

"But it's wonderful that you're so passionate about what you do," we heard Esme from the front. "Well, if I'm going to work, it should be something that I love," it was Carlisle. Alice and Rosalie looked at me with our mouths were hanging open. The three of us stood by Edward, Emmett and Jasper. "Girls?" Esme called out. "Hmm, guess they're not here. Would you like something to drink?" Esme offered.

The kitchen door open and Carlisle was right behind Esme. Alice had to cover her mouth from laughing aloud. "I wonder where those girls are… AHH!" she turned around and saw the six of us. No one could help themselves from laughing. "I hate it when you do that," Esme scolded us. Carlisle smiled, "I knew my boys were here. We have a hiking trip to get to." They nodded and said their goodbyes. This was getting strange; Carlisle's eyes were as black as his sons were. I didn't know how to tell my family my theory about the men in our lives.

School was exceedingly boring without Edward, Emmett and Jasper. To make the day go by, Alice, Rosalie and I took up our old habits of bothering other students. "I know I'm not supposed to talk about them, but how else would you explain how those girls got the Cullens so fast. They were the first ones I warned about the Platt Sisters." Sean clearly hadn't learned his lesson.

At lunch, Rosalie was standing behind Sean in the line for getting their lunch. She discreetly tapped his bottle of soda and it began to fizz. Sitting down, we watched Sean open his drink and it splattered all over his face. The three of us laughed uproariously, as well did everyone else who saw. Sean rushed off to the bathroom. "I guess the binding spell wasn't enough," Alice sniffed, "What should we do?" They looked at me, "Later. Get his picture and we'll use a stronger spell. I'll go to Port Angeles later for the things we need."

Alice got up and went to the bathroom as well. Rosalie and I held hands and saw what she was doing. Alice brushed the boys' bathroom door, locking it from the outside. In the girls' bathroom, she held her amulet in cupped hands, speaking and incantation, "By the power of three times three, make him see, make him see." Rose and I chanted with her, holding our amulets, repeating it three times.

In the boys' bathroom, the lights flickered off and on, the windows opened and shut on their own, the stall doors slammed repeatedly and Sean was screaming, trying to get the door open. Alice came back into the cafeteria, smiling coyly. She sat down quietly. "Let him out," I whispered. Sean ran in the cafeteria, horrorstruck. The three of us had to stifle our giggles. "We'll complete the spell tonight," Rosalie reassured me.

Biology was boring without Edward, but Sean was keeping me entertained. Whenever he glanced back at me, I alternated between ignoring him, smiles and stern looks. Some people just love hard lessons. On our way to Port Angeles, I went over what we needed. "We'll need ribbons, blessing seeds and more candles," Alice explained. Rosalie drove to Port Angeles, while Alice played with the radio and I thought about my latest dream.

I was in my front yard, sweeping the steps and a dark figure came up behind me, trying to take me away from my home. My hands closed over my amulet. "Do you two want to eat first?" Alice asked. I wasn't that hungry; "Go ahead without me. I'll pick up what we need and meet you at the restaurant. Also, order something for Esme." Rosalie looked back at me, "You're sure?" I nodded, "Yea, go ahead." I wanted sometime to myself to think about my dream.

Alice and Rosalie went to the only Italian restaurant in town, while I went to the herbal shop. The smell of the ocean was strong in the air and I loved it. To me, the ocean was the most beautiful thing in nature. "Hello dear," the shopkeeper greeted me. "Hello, just need to stock up today." I picked up my desired items, including a book on dream interpretations. The book was so interesting, I was reading before I left the store.

While reading, I learned that dark figures meant someone of harm. Someone who meant harm was coming for me. That was no surprise. I sighed and held my amulet again. I needed to speak with Esme. "Hey!" Someone called from behind me and I looked back. I rolled my eyes and groaned; it was Sean and a few of his friends. This guy was a glutton for punishment. "Look, it's the witch." I made a disgusted noise in my throat, "Stop reading fairy tales." I began to walk towards the restaurant. I wasn't in the mood for this.

"So, without your sisters, you're nothing," Lex, one of Sean's friends taunted me. I smiled to myself, "You little boys really need to get home." Someone grabbed my arm and spun me around, pinning me to the wall, "Don't talk to us like that." Sean was in my face and I glared back, "And you do not touch me!" Sean smirked, "We know what you are and we're going to tell everyone." I scoffed, "Ahh, Monica already threatened me with that and she was almost arrested for busting my family heirloom. You're already on thin ice."

Sean glowered at me. "Everyone knows that you're a witch," Mark interjected. I folded my arms, "Really? How do you know? You are nothing but little back-wood people with limited minds. If anyone is remotely different, you look to your town's little stories of superstitions to explain what you know _nothing_ about," I spat at them. This is why I wanted to live in the city.

Sean leaned closer to me, "You almost got me suspended." My eyes narrowed, "You did that yourself, idiot." Sean slammed his fist against the wall I was pinned against. "You witch!" My eyes closed and his hand was on my throat. I gasped from his tight hold, "You should be burned." My teeth chattered as my anger flared and my skin began to burn. Sean released me quickly, "What was that?"

Lights flashed from around the corner, then tires screeched to a halt, "Get away from her!" A tall figure stood in the headlights, "Bella, get in the car," the voice demanded. I ran to the front seat of the familiar car. Edward held Sean by his throat, pushing him against the wall, "If you come near her again…" Edward's face was livid and Sean was gasping for air. "Edward?" I called out. He looked back at me; his face was malice. He released Sean and got back into the car.

The vehicle was thrown into reverse, whirling the vehicle around and drove away. His hands were taught, holding the steering wheel. The restaurant where my sisters waited flew past us. I didn't speak while watching Edward's face. I've never seen him this angry. Soon the car stopped just outside of Port Angeles. Everything was dark in the car, except for the few lights on the dashboard. "Did he hurt you?" I shook my head, "No. Are you alright?"

Edward clasped his hands over his face and breathed deeply. He threw his car door open and sat on the hood, running his fingers through his hair. I bit my lip and got out of the car too. I stood by him, "Edward?" He looked at me, "I'm sorry," he exhaled slowly, "I have a temper problem." I half-smiled, "So do I." He looked up at me, "Did I scare you?" "No," I lied. Edward looked into my eyes, "Yes, I did." My head tilted to the side, "I said you didn't."

He stood up "You can't lie to me. I can see it in your eyes. Despite what he said and did to you, you were concerned about Sean." I grimaced, "Maybe…. a little," I rolled my eyes. Edward stroked my cheek, "I wasn't going to hurt him. I just wanted to scare him." I laughed, "Well, you succeed. I think he'll transfer schools now." Edward's arms wrapped around me and his face was pressed into my hair. My arms were locked under his, "Bella." My eyes flashed open. The way he crooned my name was just like my dream stranger. I hugged him back, happy to having him hold me. I found him.

Edward drove back to La Bella Italia. "What are you doing here anyway?" He looked at me. "I thought you were hiking with your dad and brothers?" Edward smiled, "I was. They're still up there. Carlisle forgot some things, so I came back to pick them up." I raised an eyebrow, "How'd you know I was in Port Angeles?" He hesitated, "Mike Newton. I was at his shop and he mentioned you coming here." I nodded, "Ok."

My phone vibrated as my sisters came outside, "It's Rosalie." Edward took my hand, "I'm sorry I kept you from your sisters." We looked at each other in the dark car. "You should get back to them." I smirked, "Ok. Your dad is probably wondering where you are anyway. Thank you, Edward. That's another thing I owe you for." He shook his head, "Say you'll be my girlfriend and we're even." My heart slammed in my chest. "Well, I kinda thought I already was." He smiled his crooked smile, "I never officially asked you."

I laughed, "Bye." "Just keep yourself out of trouble until I get back." I smiled brightly, "Ok, so, I'll get into trouble when your back." Edward chuckled once, "Fine, I could use the exercise." He caressed my cheek, "I miss you." I held his hand on my face, "I miss you too." I got out of the car and half ran back to my sister's car. Rosalie scolded me, until she saw Edward's car driving away. "Drop it, Rose. Let's go," Alice interjected.

At home, we bound Sean's picture and the pictures of his friends in the ribbon. After finding out what happened in Port Angles, Esme called the police and pressed assault charges against Sean and harassment charges against his friends. That night, I slept peacefully and I dreamed an old dream:

I was a little girl in the greenhouse. It was late at night and everything was quiet. In my periphery, Rosalie was watching me, her hair in pigtails. The two of us were talking as I picked flower petals. Each petal symbolized what I wanted:

He will come on wings of silver

He will be strong, but his strength is unparallel

He will be different from his kind

But he will not be alone

His eyes will be of gold & black

And his love will be unmatched

For him, I will make a great change

Creating a powerful bond for all eternity

My eyes opened slowly and sat up in my bed. Letting the dream play through my mind, Rosalie and I were standing at the highest balcony in our house. My arms were extended straight ahead of me and the petals began to float into the air. They swirled away in the distance, carrying my spell with them. Crossing the room, I began to look through my old journals. That was a dream, but a memory. A memory of the spell, _Amas Vertitas _I cast when I was younger. The poem from my dream was the one I wrote, searching for my true love.


	12. Family Secrets

Chapter 12 – Family Secrets

Reading my old journal, I remembered the spell:

Seeing the pain Esme was in from her first marriage, I don't want to deal with that. Though she loved her husband, he hurt her deeply. Because of her love for Charles, Esme stayed with him. Love, she said that was the weakness that made her stay. She hopes that when Rosalie, Alice and I grow up, we would love men that would love us back and treat as we should be treated. Some tines at night, I hear Esme crying. She's crying for the child she lost. Her husband was abusive to her. She never said it, but I knew. He would hit her and that caused her to loss her unborn child.

I hate seeing Esme hurting because of love. My mom deserves it, but she says she's happy with her girls. There was no place for a man in our lives. I've decided that I don't want to fall in love. I don't want to be hurt by anyone. I have my sisters and my mother. That's all the love I need in my life.

When I grow up, I'm going to adopt three daughters and have a wonderful life together. My children will grow up in this house, just like me and my sisters.

Reading this passage, I remembered how I felt. Knowing the pain Esme was in, I cast the spell. I never wanted to suffer from a broken heart. So, I made up a guy with qualities that couldn't possibly exist.

He will come on wings of silver

He will be strong, but his strength is unparallel

He will be different from his kind

But he will not be alone

His eyes will be of gold & black

And his love will be unmatched

For him, I will make a great change

Creating a powerful bond for all eternity

I spent the weekend in my room, thinking about the spell and about what I wanted in a true love. Wings of silver, strength unparallel and eyes of black & gold. I've heard these lines in recent dreams. This first, 'wings of silver.' Last night, when Edward drove up towards me, his car moved so fast, like…., I blinked, wings. His car was silver and it moved like we were flying. Also, his eyes were black when he left for his hiking trip. It was too dark last night to make out his eye color. But when I first met him, his eyes were gold.

When I wrote the spell, I selected qualities in a man that were impossible, at least by human standards. But Edward was two-natured. Him and his family; he wasn't alone. All his brothers and his father had gold eyes, but when they were leaving, their eyes were all black. Were my feelings for Edward clouding my judgment? I mean, he may not be human, but he is the one I saw coming. The Cullens were the ones I saw; I know that, but they were different. Too different for this to end happily.

On Monday morning, I awoke early, anxious to see Edward. Would his eyes be different today? "This is unbelievable," Esme was reading the newspaper in the kitchen. "What is it?" I leaned over her shoulder. "There were several murders in Tacoma this weekend." "Oh no," I began reading over her shoulder. They were five unexplained deaths; all bodies just discarded in the streets and alleys. "That's awful." Reading the article, my eyebrows furrowed. "Bella, I want to ask you something?" I looked at her, "Yes?" She stood up, "Honey, why were you asking about the two-natured? I mean, you seemed really intrigued by the topic." I looked at her, "Well, it was mentioned in class."

She smiled, "Oh, so it has absolutely nothing to do with Carlisle and his sons?" The paper slipped from my fingers, "You knew?" I whispered. Esme took my hands, "Give me some credit, honey. You think I didn't know. I knew the second I saw those boys, or should I say men." I bit my lip, "What do you think they are?" Esme looked to the floor, "I have my suspensions, as I'm sure you do, but let's not make any final decisions until we know more." I nodded, "Alright."

"Bell, you gonna make us late," Alice called from the front room. "Why's it always me?" I kissed Esme's cheek and ran to the car. Alice drove down the street, "Bella, this isn't going to be an easy day. With Sean's arrest, everyone's going to be looking at you." I sighed, "Let them. Frankly, I'm tired of these children. If they want to start something, they're going to see a real witch." My annoyance level with this whole rumor thing was through the roof. I was ready to leave town. Students walked by our parked car, glancing into the windshield.

Rosalie patted my shoulder, "Bella, it's annoying, yes, but this isn't just about you. Think of Esme." I closed my eyes, "I know, Rose, but wouldn't you like to live in a bigger town. Without all these people talking about our family. Somewhere we'd be accepted. Yes, they're would always be gossip, but at least in a bigger town, it won't hurt as much." Alice turned her body to face me and held out her hands for Rosalie and me. Taking my sisters' hands, we closed our eyes, "This is our circle, no one can break it. This is our circle, no one can enter it." We repeated the chant three times, drawing on each other's strengths.

Heat flowed through my veins, passing to Alice and Rosalie. Their heat flowed into me. "Bella, as long as we have each other, we can get through anything, even small-minded townsfolk," Alice said jokingly. I smiled, took a deep breath and got out of the car. Endless cloudy days, constant rain, whispered snide comments, vicious attacks on my family and me; enough was enough.

Neither Edward's nor Emmett's cars were in the parking lot. Maybe they would be here later. Alice and Rosalie shared my concern. "Alice…?" I looked at her. "Already on it." She closed her eyes and tried to see if they were coming. She smirked, "Here they come." The three of us tried to hide our smiles. "Rose, what's going on with you and Emmett?" She smiled at me, "The same thing that's going on with you and Edward & Alice and Jasper." Alice giggled, "I think the same things happening with Esme and Carlisle. You saw them at the masquerade."

The three of us looked at each other. "Well, I didn't tell you." Alice and Rosalie waited. "Edward asked me to be his girlfriend." Rosalie's eyes widened, "And you're just telling us. I'm shocked." Our heads turned as we heard Emmett's jeep pull into the parking lot. The top of the jeep was down and Emmett was standing up in the backseat, "Hey girls." He called, jumping out of the jeep before it came to a complete stop. Rosalie gasped, "Are you trying to hurt yourself?"

Jasper got out of the driver's seat, "Nothing can hurt Emmett." He moved gracefully to take Alice's hand. The passenger door closed and Edward came towards me. His hand held the side of my face and his other hand rested on my waist, "What happened after I left?" I looked up at him. His eyes were butterscotch gold again. I blinked, trying to put the words in order, "Esme called the police and Sean his friends were arrested." He sighed, "Has he come near you?"

Jasper and Emmett looked at us, "No. I don't know where he is." Emmett and Jasper looked at Edward, who nodded slightly. Rosalie and Alice caught the exchange. They were noticing things like I was. Edward looked at Rosalie, than me. Alice chimed in, "Did you hear about the murders in Tacoma?" Jasper looked down at her, "No. What happened?" Alice explained the story and they listened intently. While Alice explained, Edward's hand found the small of my back. I could sense that he was very concerned about what was going on.

As they did everyday, Emmett, Jasper and Edward walked my sisters and me to our classes. "I can't believe Edward can still be interested in her after what happened this weekend?" "Her mother got Sean, Lex and Mark arrested. That family is so weird." Some students were whispering as I walked pass them. My fingers clinched into a fist. I wanted to hit something. Rosalie's fingers brushed my arm, _Calm down please_. Edward walked me to my first class, but he didn't let me walk in. "Don't listen to any of those fools. Sean brought this on himself." I bit my lip, "So why am I getting blamed? First, he says I killed my mother, then he attacks me, but it's fault." Tears began to wet my eyelashes. There was only but so much I could take.

Edward hugged me, tucking my head under his chin, "I know it's hard. But you're not alone." My arms locked around Edward, my body melting into his. He inhaled deeply at my hair and his stomach tightened reflexively. His body was warring with itself and I felt it. He didn't want to let me go, but he knew he should. I exhaled and stepped away from him. My body felt colder being away from his. "Thanks, I'll see you later." His thumb brushed away my tear, "Ok."

At lunch, I didn't eat anything. My mood didn't improve. I tried my best to ignore the snide remarks of the other students, but my anger was getting to me. Though Edward tried to relax me, it didn't help much. I wanted to create a thunderstorm in the cafeteria and let them all see what I can do. To show them the real power of a witch's wrath. That would do much more harm than good; I knew that. My mind wasn't rational right now. Some of Sean's friends walked by our table; with the intention of throwing paper balls. Edward and his brothers stood up at the exact moment the boys walked by. Sean's friends cringed as they saw how intimidating the Cullens were. Emmett snorted, "Rose, let's go." They were clearly getting frustrated with this whole thing too.

After school, Edward drove me home, with the others close behind. "Ohhhh, I just want those kids to shut up about our family," I complained. Everything within me was in flux. My anger was effecting my power; making it grow. I needed to release it; channel it and use my power. Edward held my shoulders, "People are always going to talk." I sighed, at least they weren't talking about how Edward intimidated them. I went to the greenhouse, taking a vial of belladonna, "Bella, don't do that." All of this was making me insane. The same vial offered some comfort and relief.

I looked at him, "It's just to calm myself down." Edward took the vial from me and his skin felt slightly warmer, "Please, don't take this. Taking too much can be harmful." We looked into each other's eyes. He held my gaze, without blinking, "Alright, I won't." He smiled at me and I blinked; did he just…? I looked up at him, "I have to get going, Bella. I'll see you tomorrow. Promise me you won't touch this stuff," he still held the vial. I nodded, "I promise."

I saw Edward out and watched him and his brothers drive away. He was getting good at keeping me calm. In my room, I laid across my bed. I wanted something to distract myself. I needed to get out of the house and get all this extra energy out of me. It wasn't that late and I could use some more violets. There was a meadow where they grow beautifully. Alice came into my bedroom, "Take my jacket and Rosalie's car. It's going to be cold by the time you get back." I smiled at my clairvoyant sister, "Thanks."

Driving was always a good distraction for me. I drove down the highway, until the road ended. Parking in the shelter of the tree, I got out and hiked through the forest, listening to the animals. Time alone was good too. It was quiet and I only had my thoughts. Stretching my hands straight above me, the clouds thickened about and a roll of thunder echoed. Lightening crashed in the distance. My fingers slightly curled and gusts of wind blew through the trees. "Nature, hear my plea. Silence the small-minded ones. End their harsh words. End their evil ways or guide me in how I can end their hurtful words."

The power flowed out of me, leaving me as I was. Anger fueled a witch's power more than anything. After walking for twenty minutes, I walked through the final bushes into the meadow. This was one of my favorite places. It was perfectly round, covered with wild flowers. On nice days, sunlight broke through the canopy and the meadow was heavenly. Alice knew this place and she kept the flowers in bloom. My fingers brushed over the tall flowers as they gently leaned in the wind.

After picking the flowers I wanted, my body slumped to the ground. My hair drifted on the ground as I looked up at the canopy and the sky. Everything was silent and serene. There were no watchful eyes, no one else to disturb my peace. In this peace of mind, repressed memories and lost dreams were slowly coming back.

The spell for my true love came to mind. I knew Edward wasn't human, but I did care about him. Did I love him? The way he held me today was something I never experienced before. Besides my family, I was never that close to someone. He comforted me when I was crying. He was there when I needed to get to the hospital to see Rosalie. He came when Sean was attacking me and he was the one to take me outside before I ripped Sean's throat out. Whenever I was hurt or in pain, Edward was there. We barely know each other and I already feel so comfortable with him. Was Edward Cullen my earth-bound protector? The one I saw coming from the east. He was fitting these questions more and more.

While sitting silently, there was the distressed cry of an animal near by. My eyes opened in shock; what was that? There was a snapping and a poor animal's gurgle for air. I moved to my feet to look the poor creature. There wasn't much I could do, but I could ease its pain. Walking deeper into the woods, everything was getting darker. On the other side of a thick trunk, there were the hind legs of a bear. I stopped mid-stride. This was a bear and they are vicious when they're injured. Moving closer, I hid behind a tree, seeing a man leaning over the large brute. My body froze as I picked up a strange sucking sound. Chancing a better look at the scene, the man had tussled bronze hair.

I gasped and his head snapped up. He sniffed at the air, moving in jerky actions and I saw his face; Edward. It was Edward, but he looked like a wild animal. His eyes were hard and steely and blood was dripping from his teeth. He was a vampire! His gold eyes looked in my direction. There was a guttural snarl that was more animal than human, "Who's there?" I wanted to run. Not letting my body tremble, I slowly turned back to the direction I came. My body fell back against the tree as I saw Edward standing right in front of me.

He face was malice, with his arm was raised, ready to strike, "Bella?" His eyes softened as he recognized me. I bit down on my lip, terrified of what he was going to do. I was a human who discovered his secret. Edward stepped towards me, calming his expression and his arm lowered to his side. Before he could get any closer, I began running towards the car.

My hand held my amulet, sending out a frantic cry, "Carry me ever faster back home. By the powers of three, hasten my flight to safety," I chanted. My feet beat against the ground even faster, carrying me back to the car. The brushes of leaves blurred passed me until I reached the car. Jumping in, I drove as fast as the car would allow back to my house. My heart slammed in my chest as the night went pass the windows. Everything was too black and dark to make out if I was being followed. Some cars were on the road, but I made my car invisible to their eyes as I flew past them.

Pulling into the driveway, the headlights shined on the safe haven that was my home. No stopping once the engine was off, I ran into the house. My hand rested on the door, sending a strong protection enchantment, that won't allow anyone enter through the door except for my family. The enchantment stretched to the backdoor as well. "Esme?" I called out, but no one was home. Like a fool, I forgot my phone on my desk before I left the house.

I ran to my room, wanting to call my mother and sisters. Throwing my bedroom door open, I went for my desk. My heart hadn't slowed and my hands trembled as I tried to dial the number. "Bella?" I spun around and Edward was standing at my balcony doors. I staggered backwards, stumbling over my discarded shoes. "How did you get in here?" Edward stepped into the room without fail, "Bella, please, let me explain." He entered the circle of protection but that meant little now. I exhaled, "What are you?" He stepped towards me. My heart lurched, coursing adrenaline through my veins. My body turned to run out my door.

My hand caught the handle, but Edward's hand slammed against the door, keeping it closed. His arm was very close to my face, "It's too dangerous for you to know." My body trembled, "Please, don't hurt me. I promise I won't say anything." I pleaded in fear for my life and the lives of my family. Edward exhaled slowly, "I would never do that." My eyes squeezed close, "Edward, are you two-natured?" It was stupid to ask, when the truth was staring me in the face.

He lowered his arm, not taking it off the door, "What are you talking about?" I exhaled deeply, slowing my shaking, "Are you a vampire?" "Bella, you know?" His voice was calmer, making mine more relaxed. "I just saw you drinking the blood of that bear and now, you're standing in my bedroom, without coming through the house." His hand moved closer to me and I moved away. I didn't want him to touch me. "Bella, please. You have to trust me. I won't hurt you."

Inhaling deeply, I turned to look at him, "Trust you? Your kind can't be trusted." His eyes smoldered into mine, "That is true, but my family and I can be. We aren't like the rest of them. Look at the past few weeks." Tears formed in my eyes, "Those deaths in Tacoma? That was near Mount Rainier." He blinked, "Not us. When I said we were on a hiking trip, I meant it. Bella, I want to tell you the truth, but you can't tell your family."

"Trust me, my family knows. You think you're the only ones with secrets." My eyes became angry as the feeling of betrayal grew. I actually thought he was my protector, that he was the one I called. "Edward, you need to leave." "Bella…" he reached for me. Narrowing my eyes, thunder crashed outside, "Edward, please leave before Esme gets here." He stepped away from me, feeling the charge of electricity in the air. He glanced out the window, "Did you….?"

I arched an eyebrow, making my balcony doors flew open and wind blew into the room. Lightening crash on the balcony floor, leaving a scold mark on the floor. Edward looked at me, "What are _you_?" I half-smirked, "Can't you figure it out? People have been saying it since you got to town." He gawked at me, "You _are_ a witch!"

"Yes, we are, Edward." Esme, Alice and Rosalie were standing on my balcony. Alice and Rosalie walked over to me. Alice took my hand and Rosalie stood in front of me, "Edward, I think its best you leave now." "Before _I_ get mad," Esme stepped forward. Edward looked between all of us and sprinted out of the room in a blur.

Esme closed the balcony door. She placed her palm on the floor. Her power coursed through the entire house, locking everything out of the house. Not one of us could so much open a window without Esme's knowing. Esme stood slowly and closed my curtain, "You were right, dear. They are two-natured," Esme turned to look at us, "The Cullens are vampires."


	13. Having Fun

Chapter 13 – Having Fun

The four of us were sitting in Esme's bedroom; nobody wanted to be alone. The feelings of betrayal, anger and sadness permeated the air. Alice rubbed one hand over her flinched fist, resting them over her mouth. "Bella, why didn't you tell us about your suspicions of them? You had a feeling all this time and you saw how close all of us were getting to the Cullens?" Rosalie was scolding me, but how could I blame her? She was hurt that Emmett was a vampire, after he asked her to be his girlfriend.

My eyes closed as this crushing blow ate away at me, "I didn't want to say anything and I knew they wouldn't have harmed us." I didn't care about taking the blame for my family's pain. Rosalie snorted, "How do you know that?" "Our charms; no one can harm us. And each of them passed through the protection circle around the house. Edward even got through it tonight. He wasn't going to hurt me." My voice was on the brink of breaking. Rosalie glared at me, "Sean got damn close to hurting you and you were wearing your charm."

"But, he didn't, because…" I hesitated, "Edward helped me." Her eyes widened, "The vampire helped you, so that he can kill you later. Bella, how can you be so stupid? So irrespons….." "Rosalie, enough!" Esme interjected. Her voice was stern as she reprimanded my sister. Rosalie sighed, "Esme, she knew this and didn't tell us. We don't keep secrets from each other."

I squeezed my eyes closed, trying to fight back tears. "Rosalie, I had my suspicions just as Bella did." Esme sat with me on her bed, "But she was right, they couldn't have hurt anyone of you." Esme was as pained by this as my sisters and I were. Carlisle was the first man she's shown interest in since her husband died. Esme held up my amulet, "Bella, please merge your sisters amulets and protection charms. They will need the extra protection." I nodded slowly, hoping to redeem myself for this night.

Alice handed me her charm and Esme gave me Alice's amulet. She kept our amulets in a silver box on her dresser. Clasping the amulet and protection charm together, they merged into one; a crescent moon with a red hue. I did the same for Rosalie; hers became a star with a yellow stone center.

Esme cleared her throat and held out her hands. Forming our circle and closing our eyes, our senses opened and drifted out of the house. Hearing pass the sporadic speeding cars and creatures moving in the forest, the voices of the Cullens reached us. "Edward, you are serious about this?" Jasper asked. Edward huffed, "Yes, the girls are witches. Bella made thunder crash right on her balcony, then her family appeared in the same spot the next moment." There was the sound of something moving across the floor, "Wow, I guess some rumors are right," Emmett said.

There was a deep exhaling of breath, "Well, witches are the one to keep balance in nature." "What are you talking about?" Jasper asked. "In my time, witches were deemed evil, but as society and people advanced, so did supernatural creatures. Witches can control werewolves, as they are more animalistic, but a very powerful witch can control a vampire." "Then, I'd watch out for Esme," Edward warned, "she's clearly the head witch." "Maybe," Carlisle stated, "but Esme is their mother and, to her, a vampire was threatening her daughter. You cannot fault her for threatening you."

I pulled my hands away, breaking the circle. Why did I believe he was the one I called for? Why was this happening? Esme brushed my hair as I rested my head in her lap. Alice came over to rest her head on Esme's shoulder. Rosalie shook her head slowly and laid against my side. _My baby girls_, Esme thought to herself. Esme would move heaven and earth to keep us safe, even from broken hearts. "Alright," Esme whispered, "the three of you are forbidden from speaking to the Cullens. We know their secret and they know ours." None of us argued. "Carlisle was right about us being the ones to keep nature in balance. So, for now, it will be difficult but I want you to stay out of the woods as well."

Esme leaned her head against Alice's, "Bella, I want to know what you saw today." My breath shuddered as I recalled the encounter, "I was in a meadow, getting violets when I heard an animal's cry. I went to see if I could help the poor thing, when I saw Edward leaning over it. T Then he turned back to face me, snarled and bared his teeth, with the animal's blood dripping down his mouth." Alice shuddered, trying to imagine that. "I turned to run away but he was in front of me, as if he was ready to attack me. When he saw it was me, Edward drew back. I ran past him and drove home, looking for all of you. There in my room, he said he wouldn't hurt me, but it was too dangerous for me to know what he really was."

Rosalie bit her lip, "He was drinking the blood of the animal?" I nodded, "He said him and his family were different from his kind." Alice sniffled quietly. "Alice?" Rosalie raised her head, taking the weight of it off me and took Alice's hand, "What's the matter?" Alice shook her head slowly, "This isn't fair. I was really starting to…" she shrugged, "Well, I mean, all of us…. Jasper is my boyfriend."

Esme caressed Alice's cheek with tender fingers, "Alice, my honey, it'll be fine." "Esme, don't do that. I know you're disappointed too. I mean you and Carlisle…." Esme huffed out loud, "What do you mean by that?" The three of us leaned away from her. She looked around to all of our faces. Alice smirked, "Mom, we're young, not blind." Rosalie laughed, "Esme, we saw it from when you met him at the hospital to the masquerade. Don't deny it."

Esme's expression changed to defeat, "Fine. I did….." she groaned loudly, "Ok, but I still stand by what I said. They're vampires." She looked at me, "He may say they're different, but still. I don't want any of you in danger. Yes, they have helped you before, but now things are different." No one could deny it, each of us cared about each of the Cullens.

That night, I couldn't sleep. My mind buzzed, recalling the entire evening over and over; blood falling down Edward's chin, then him appearing in my room and Esme banishing him from our home and our lives. I sat at my balcony doors, watching the trees move in the wind. This was unbearable. I actually thought they were the ones coming to our family. They fit perfectly; coming from the East, they were the animals Rosalie saw. And Edward fit the description in my dreams: wings of silver, he said he was different from his kind and he was not alone. I actually began to wonder if I loved him.

Thinking about what I saw this afternoon, that was unbelievable. I read that vampire give themselves over to their senses, making them more of a predator than human. Remembering the blood on his lips, I cringed. He was completely different from the Edward I knew. My eyes widened. What about school? How was I going to face him at school? How were my sisters going to face his brothers? A thought occurred to me. We knew their secret, maybe they would leave. Having their secret expose may cause them to leave the area.

People knew of our secret, but mostly only as a superstition. Also, my family and I have the abilities to make people forget; vampires didn't. Edward said his family was different from their kind, but would they harm us now that we knew what we were? My eyes narrowed; what if they were planning to attack us? They wouldn't be able to come near our home, because of the circle. No, Edward wouldn't do that. But how can I be sure?

The way his family was with mine; they could've been luring us into a trap. This was so confusing. Picking myself off the floor, I slumped into bed and pulled the quiet over myself. The warmth pushed away the discomfort of the day. I wanted to see Edward and talk to him, but that was too dangerous. I wasn't strong enough to repel a vampire on my own. Closing my eyes, I pushed away the images of Edward drinking blood and thought of him laughing with me at the day's events.

When sleep was beginning to take over, another memory came; _pure as snow_. Edward's skin was as white as snow. This was becoming weird and I know weird. My spell was fitting him even more and my dreams were telling me more about him. I got up and went to my journal, reading the second line of my true love spell. _He will be strong_. Thinking about it more, Edward was strong enough to kill me, but his strength. His mental strength stopped him from harming me in the forest.

Another line; his love will be unmatched. And I will make a great change, creating a powerful bond for all eternity. I exhaled; I will make a great change. A tear fell from my eye; would I become a vampire? No, no, no. That can't happen. I went back to bed. This was a truth I couldn't face.

When I cast this spell, I bound to it, which I would have to change to be equal with the one I would love. Turning over in bed, I looked out the window. My eyelids were getting heavier as sleep came back. As unconsciousness took over, something white flew through the trees.

My eyes open from a dreamless sleep. Turning over, I gasped seeing Alice asleep next to me. "Are you ok?" she asked, with her eyes closed, "You were up pretty late." I groaned and pulled the sheet over our heads. She laid under the sheets with me, "Bella, I'm just as disappointed as you are." Alice and I were looking at each other, when the sheet lifted on my other side, as Rosalie climbed underneath with us. "Esme went to work. Either of you want to go to school?"

Alice and I looked at each other, "Nope." Rosalie put her arm over me and I hugged Alice. The three of us laid quietly in bed, each of us hurt by my discovery and Esme's edict. "Alice, do you think….?" I couldn't help asking. "No," Rosalie sat up, pulling the sheet back. The dull light of the cloudy day streamed into the room. Rosalie scowled deeply at us, "You heard Esme." I looked at her, "She said we couldn't talk to them, she didn't say anything about checking on them."

Alice sat up, smiling sheepishly, "Bell has a point. We need to know if they said anything." Rosalie looked between us, not able to come up with an argument, "Fine. But I won't be apart of this." She shifted out of my bed and left the room. Rosalie was always the strongest amongst us, but even she couldn't hide her pain. She missed Emmett. I watched after her, then looked at Alice. Her eyes were closed. I sat waiting and watching. She held out her hand to me and I took it, closing my eyes.

Through her eyes, I saw Jasper, Edward and Emmett standing in the parking lot, talking. "Do you think they'll tell?" Jasper asked. Edward's eyes were gold again and sad. "No. They may be witches, but they're our girlfriends. Witch or not, I still care about Bella, like you care about Alice and Rosalie." Emmett grimaced, "Maybe we could try to talk to them. Carlisle said…" Edward glared at him, "Esme won't allow that. She wouldn't allow any of us near them or the house." Alice's vision was blurring, as I tried to focus on Edward. His face was remorseful when he spoke about Esme keeping us away from them.

Alice released my hand and we stared at each other. She wanted to go to school and talk to Jasper. I shook my head and got out of bed. She and I trudged down the back stairs. Rosalie was putting scrambled eggs on three plates, with toast and pancakes for our late breakfast. Alice sat down, but I stood next to Rosalie. She was focusing on the kettle as it whistled. Alice picked at her food, quietly. Rosalie sat at the long table with Alice and sipped at her steaming coffee mug.

"Hey, Esme's gone. Let's have some fun." Rosalie glared at me, so I rephrased, "As in, we could….." Alice smiled, "Yea." Rosalie looked between us, "What are you thinking about?" I smiled, "Let's use a lot of magic today. We need a pick-me-up." Rosalie's eyebrows furrowed, but her face lightened into a smile, "Ok. We can call it practice." The mood lightened, but only so much.

After finishing our breakfast, we went to the family book. Alice flipped through the pages, "Ok, let's do this one. See what going to happen in our futures." I shook my head, "I'm tired of looking into the future. Let's do….." I fingered through the book, "This," I pointed out a spell. "Put a pox on Sean and his friends." Rosalie shook her head, "No, Jenna. She was pissing me off yesterday. She had the nerve to say my hair was dyed." Alice giggled, "Let's do it." I smiled, "Ok, but let's make it seem more natural." "What did you have in mind?" Rosalie asked.

I half-ran into the kitchen and came back with a bowl of three pomegranates, "Let's make her sick in school. And Alice, you look out to see how she reacts to it." Alice bit her lip and nodded. Taking a knife, I cut open each pomegranate, scooping out all the seeds. My sisters began to eat the pomegranate seeds slowly. Alice closed her eyes, "She starting to feel nauseous." Each pomegranate had many seeds in each of them, so I used two of them. "She is trying to shrug it off," Alice informed us.

After placing the bowl of seeds on the countertop, I took up the first one and began chewing it. I pressed the seed to the roof of my mouth with my tongue, making it burst. Alice smiled, "She's gagging." Rosalie and Alice began eating the seeds. "Yuck, she just threw up in the middle of the parking lot." Rosalie laughed and took Alice's hand, "Oh man. She's throwing up the seeds." "I think that should be enough. I'll get the table ready," I said after eating several handfuls of seed.

Going into the dining room, I took out what we needed from the china cabinet. In the center of the table, we used a velvet cloth, a vial of blessing seeds, a thick white candle, bundled herbs and matches.

We sat around the table, reading and beginning the spell. I burned the herbs, swirling the smoke around the table, Alice read the spell and Rosalie smashed the seeds, then set them on fire. "We send a pox on the wind. For the one who has harmed us with her tongue. We pox Jenna McCreedy. We pox her until see learns the cruelty of her ways."

Alice looked to the windows, opening them, "I send this pox on the wind, so that it may be placed upon Jenna McCreedy." The three of us stood at the window, blowing hard breaths and a gust of wind blew the smoke away from the house. The spell was carried away on the wind, completing its task.

Alice gasped loudly, "Esme's coming home early." We flew through the dining room, putting away our setting. I replenished the herbs and the seeds in the china cabinet. Alice replaced the book and Rosalie folded up the velvet cloth. The three of us cleaned the kitchen. Rosalie replaced the pomegranates. We ran to the living room and switching on the TV without touching it or the remote. I sat on the floor in front of Rosalie as she brushed my hair. Alice laid her head in my lap and we watched a movie. It was early afternoon; why was Esme coming home?

In twenty minutes, Esme's car pulled into the driveway. Her shoes clacked on the porch steps. The keys in the front locked turned the tumblers and the door opened, "Girls," she called, "we need to talk." I groaned internally; she knew what we did. Esme found us in the living room, "Get dressed. We're having company."

The three of us looked at her and got up. No one spoke as we went up the stairs. From my bedroom, I heard the doorbell ring. Rosalie, Alice and I descended the stairs to see the faces of the Cullens standing in our foyer. "Will you please seat down?" Esme invited the Cullens into the house, to sit in our living room. Rosalie, Alice and I looked at each other, puzzling. What was Esme doing?


	14. Questions

Chapter 14 – Questions

Rosalie, Alice and I stood on the stairs, looking at Esme's back. _What are you doing?_ Rosalie asked her. She looked back at us, "Come on." Alice nudged Rosalie and took my hand. We went into the living room, sitting on the couch across from the Cullens. Carlisle was standing on the side of the couch with his sons, matching Esme's stance by us. Esme looked at us, "Carlisle and I spoke this afternoon. He was right in saying there's no reason why we cannot sit down and discuss what's going on. So, my family and I know about your family's secret. And I know Edward has told you about us." Carlisle nodded, "Yes, you and your daughters are witches."

I blinked slowly, looking at all their faces. Esme nodded, "And you're vampires." Carlisle looked at each of us, "Yes, but we're different from our kind." Rosalie scoffed and Alice elbowed her in the ribs. Esme shoot her a glance, "Yes, we were informed of that. How so?" Esme tried to remain objective. Carlisle looked at his sons, "Well, what Bella saw was Edward feeding on a bear." My fingers clinched into a fist as I fought off a cringe. "We're different because my sons and I abstain from the human blood." He wasn't alone and truly different from his kind. "Why do you do that?" I asked.

Edward looked at me, "Because we choose to." Carlisle nodded in agreement, "Let me explain. I was changed in the 1600's. Knowing what I was, I wanted to die, but couldn't. I tried to starve myself, in hopes of death, but it was only torture. Mad with thirst, I drank the blood of a deer and it sustained me. So from then on, I only drank the blood of animals." He looked over his family, "As for my sons, Edward was the first one I changed while living in Chicago in 1918. He was dying of Spanish Influenza. Then, while Edward and I were living in Tennessee, we found Emmett in 1935. He was being attacked by a bear and nearly killed."

Rosalie gasped and she squeezed my hand. "As for Jasper, he was changed in 1863 and found us while we lived in Hoquiam in the 1950's. Jasper previously lived in Texas and was a captain in the Confederate Army." Alice arched an eyebrow, _Now that is interesting. All of them are so old_. My knee knocked hers, in a showing of annoyance.

Esme looked at us, "Fascinating. Now, my question is being that you know our secret, can we trust you to keep it?" That was the point of this whole meeting. Can our families reach some sort of agreement? Carlisle looked at each of our faces, taking in each of our eyes, "If you are amenable to keep ours. My sons and I move from place to place every few years, but we enjoy living in Forks."

My eyes widened, "You like living here?" Edward looked me, "Yes. Here, we can go out during the day because of the constant cloud cover. And all the open forests, we can hunt without being noticed." I made a face, "Ok, at least it works out for you." Alice rubbed my exposed hand, "As you see, our family secret isn't much of a secret. And as you've well seen, it annoys Bella. But for us, to maintain our secret, we hide in plain sight. People talk about our family and they are few who try to prove it, but most of the time, they're just vicious lies." "That should be silenced," Rosalie added. Esme tugged at Rosalie's hair, "Which is something we're not going to do."

Rosalie exhaled and folded her arms. My shoulder nudged hers, _I know just what you feel_. Emmett leaned forward, "Ok, I have a question." Edward shot him a warning glance, but he ignored it, "If you girls are witches, do you fly on brooms?" Rosalie, Alice, Esme and I looked at each other. The corner of my lips twitched as I covered my mouth. Rosalie gawked at him and Alice turned her face away, "No. Do you turn into bats?" Jasper laughed and Carlisle smiled, "No, but that isn't the first time we've been asked that." Esme tried to fight a smile, "Ok, so we keep each other's secrets."

Carlisle looked at her, "Agreed. But I am curious, how is it you and your daughters are able to do, which is actual magic?" Esme blinked once, "Well, it's actually amplified physics." My eyebrows pulled together. This was something we weren't told. "Magic is all around us. It is a sort of science. What makes molecules heat up?" "They vibrate," Carlisle answered. Esme nodded, "Everything we see is in a constant state of vibration. It's an illusion of solidity. So, how do we take something solid and make it burst into flames? We will the vibrations to move faster." Esme looked at the table top, "First, clear your mind, then see the molecules and," she waved her hand and flames burst to life on the coffee table top, "make the molecules shake faster."

Edward and his brothers jumped from the tabletop inferno, while Rosalie, Alice and I didn't move. Esme inhaled a sharp break, taking in the smoke and flames, stopping the fire. Emmett blinked, "And how are you able to do that?" His eyes were wide with surprise. "Fire and smoke are part of nature," Esme continued to explain, "my body can absorb it and redirect it." She exhaled slowly, pushing the energy of the fire and it came to life in the fireplace. Alice gazed at the hearth, shutting the gate in front of the flames. Edward locked eyes with her, "And how can she do that?" Alice smirked, "Practice."

Carlisle sighed, "So, you can make wind blow the way you want it?" Rosalie was raking her fingers through her hair, "You cannot expect us to divulge all our secrets in one day?" Esme smiled, "It is difficult to explain what we are. Witches are children of nature. We're more attuned to the movements of the earth and sky. As witches, we use the full capacity of our brains, making it easier for us to manipulate matter and move the elements. However, we cannot bend nature too far, because it will bend back, leaving us in great pain. There are times, when a witch abuses her powers and she loses them. The earth will take them back." Esme gave a quick, but understandable explanation of being a witch. There were more questions burning in each of their minds, as well as in my sisters and myself.

Jasper looked at Alice, "Do you eat children?" Alice folded her arms, "Do you?" I tried to control my laughing; it was difficult. Edward looked at me, "Do you cook in cauldron?" I smiled, "Yes actually, but not in the huge ones you see in movies. No one needs that much of a potion." Emmett looked at Rosalie, "Invisibility cloaks?" She scowled, "Stop reading J.K. Rowlings." I smiled, "Flying?" Edward shook his head, "No. Have black cats as pets?" I shrugged, "Esme's allergic." Jasper looked at Rosalie, "Using magic wands?" She shook her head, "Sleeping in coffins?" Emmett snorted, "No." He responded, "Having warts and melting with water?" I groaned, "Of course not. That's stupid." Alice shook her head, "Are we done with the game of 20 questions?"

The Cullens spent the rest of the evening asking questions about witches and we asked about vampires. Like witches, human came up with legends to protect themselves from mythical creatures. Esme was still hesitant with her daughter spending time with vampires, but she let us decided for ourselves. Edward and I were in the greenhouse. Though we were more comfortable with each other about our secrets, I was still nervous to be alone with him. He noticed my hesitance, "Bella?" I looked up, "I really should apologize to you. "When I saw you in the forest, you startled me and I wasn't in my right mind. When I hunt, I'm not myself. But when I realize it was you…." he grimaced, "I swear I wasn't going to hurt you. I would never."

I smiled slightly, "You couldn't hurt me, even if you wanted to." I held up my amulet, "This protects me. Also, it amplifies my powers, so I could have held you off." I could have held him back, but it wouldn't have lasted long. I would need the strength of my family to completely repel him, if he attacked. Edward smiled, "Alright, but please, believe me." I smiled, "I do. I knew you wouldn't hurt me."

Cool fingers stroked my cheek, "How did you become a witch?" I smiled, "I was born this way. I told you how Esme found us. Well, she looked for children who had powers within themselves. There are others who do look for power, like invoking the spirits, but mine is natural."

My eyes fell on a jar of rose petals and it came into my hand, "Each of have different abilities. I have the power of knowing, Alice has the power of seeing, Rosalie has the power of creation and Esme has the power of control." He stroked my bottom lip with his thumb, "How does your power work?" I took his hand, "Come with me."

Heading to my bedroom, walking past the living room, Esme and Carlisle were sitting together. They watched as Edward and I ascended the stairs. Once in my room, Edward closed the door and sat on my bed. I hope I wasn't a snack. I laughed to myself at my absurd joke. Taking one of my spare pillows out of the closet, I cut the casing open with a knife. and went to sit with him Edward watched me with a perplexed expression. My hand drifted over the feathery mess on the bed. Three feathers began to float into the air, touching my palm lightly. A small smile curved his lips. The feathers drifted back down. Rubbing my palms together, they drifted apart and more feathers began to float higher. He let out a shaky laugh, "That's incredible." "That's nothing. I've been doing this since I was five. It was one of the first things I did on my own. In the orphanage, I would do this to cheer the others up, but some thought I was a freak. This was the first thing I showed Esme during our family interview."

All the feathers drifted around the room, swirling in small twisters. Focusing my power, the feathers drifted into the garbage pail by my desk. Edward applauded lightly, "Ok, but that doesn't answer my question. How do you have the power of knowing?" My head nodded and I crossed the room, to my desk and unlocked a drawer. I took out one of my journals and it followed me, floating in mid-air. Edward was speechless as he watched the book levitate.

"This is one of my dream journals. That's how my power works. I dream of things to come and write them out. Or if it is a picture, I draw them." Edward flipped through the book, "That's interesting." He stopped at one page, "This one's incomplete." I looked at the drawing he was pointing out, "I know. I dreamt of that a few weeks ago. Around the time….." He glanced at me, "When?" I looked at him, not sure if I want to answer him. I had my suspicions of who the man was, but I didn't want to say.

"That's my family crest," he looked at the symbol on my stranger's wrist. I sighed, "I know. I had that dream a few days before you came to the school. This dream was incomplete too, but as the weeks progressed, I was able to fill in more details, but I never completed the drawing." I took the book from him and sent it to the desk. Sighing deeply, I turned towards him, "Edward, believe it or not, it's supposed to be you." My heart slammed as I made this confession, "As I got to know you, more glimpses of this dream came, filling in more of the blank spots. After two weeks, the picture was complete and I realize it was you. I knew it was you because I recognized the symbol on your wrist."

"So what does that mean?" My teeth bit down into my lip, "I saw you coming, all of you for my family. On the night of the eclipse, which is a good omen, Rosalie and I read it in the stars. I saw that you would be coming from the East and Rosalie saw animal representations coming for us." He smiled wryly, "Let me guess. At the masquerade, my family and I wore the masks of the animals Rosalie saw."

I smiled and nodded, "Yes." I turned and walked to my balcony doors, opening them. My arms leaned on the banister, "I know this sounds weird, but that is what I think." His hand was suddenly brushing my hair, "I don't think it's weird." I grimaced, "There's more." He smiled, "What?" I bit my lip harder this time, "Ok, this is a strange question, but I need to know." He looked at me, waiting. "Was there ever a time in your life when a circle of flower petals fell around you?" I needed to know. I needed this confirmation for my theories.

Edward blinked astonished, "Yes, about ten years ago. I was in Alaska, hunting. While in a field, flowers just fell around me. I thought they blew off a tree." My eyes widened; my spell worked and I was right. I stepped away from him and exhaled deeply. My shaking hand covered my mouth as tears threatened to spill. Edward brushed my cheek, "What's wrong?" A single tear fell from my eye, "I was right, even from back then, I was right."

He cupped his hands on my face, "What do you mean?" My lips trembled, "I wished for you." I looked into his eyes and recited my spell:

"He will come on wings of silver

He will be strong, but his strength is unparallel

He will be different from his kind, but he will not be alone

His eyes will be of gold & black

And his love will be unmatched

For him, I will make a great change

Creating a powerful bond for all eternity"

I sniffed, "I wrote that when I was eight. It was a spell to find…." He leaned closer to me, "I think I know what it was for. But you should know something." I blinked, looking up into his golden eyes, "I wished for you too." More tears fell. I cannot believe this is happening. All this time and the signs, I never put them together until this very moment. Edward was on the one I wished for, the one I was waiting for. He brushed my tears away with a kiss. I looked at him, his eyes smoldered into mine, leaning closer to me.

My eyes began to close, as we moved closer. "Edward?" We looked over the banister to the front yard where Carlisle stood. "Son, we're leaving." Edward nodded and then looked at me, "I'll see you later." He kissed my cheek and my body froze. His cool lips pressed into my cheek, leaving them burning for his touch again. Watching him, Edward leapt from the balcony. He landed on the ground, "Hey!"

Edward landed on Jasper, "Sorry, you were in my way." I smiled as Edward looked up and winked at me. Carlisle was in his car, with his window down, talking to Esme. His sons got in the car and drove away. I smiled to myself, sitting on the banister. The car disappeared into the night.

Swinging my legs over the exterior, my body leapt from the balcony. I floated slowly to the ground and stood with Esme, who had a small smile on her lips. She looked at me and took my hand. From her, I felt feelings of happiness, but nervousness.

Closing the front door, Esme went upstairs quietly. Rosalie was coming towards me from the kitchen door, followed by Alice. The two of them looked up as Esme reached the top of the stairs. All of us were happy with this evening's turn of events. However, I was concerned for Esme.

From holding her hand, she was happy to know Carlisle, but nervous to open her heart to him. Looking at my sisters, I let them know my concerns. I held up my hands to them and we formed our circle. With each of us, we were all happy. But we knew what we had to do for our mother.


	15. Opening

Chapter 15 – Opening

We left school early, ditching our last two classes. Edward and his brothers came with us, to see how we actually cast spells. "We just want to help Esme, that's all," I explained to Edward as he drove to my house. Pulling up into the driveway, the front door opened on its own. It was getting to be very comfortable to be myself with Edward and his family. Out on the veranda, my sisters and I sat around the table. "Ok, ready?" Rosalie asked. Edward, Emmett and Jasper stood by the table, watching us.

My sisters and I held hands, forming our circle. We have never done a spell in front of people, besides Esme. Focusing our energy on Esme, we saw her in her office. She was trying to work, but she couldn't focus. "Open her mind, open her heart. Find the courage to have a new start," we chanted over and over. As we did, our amulets floated away from our bodies, to connect with each other in the center of the table.

The wind picked up, mussing our hair as we chanted, "Open her mind, open her heart. Find the courage to have a new start." As we chanted for the last time, our hands rose above our heads and energy flowed from our bodies, into our amulets, making a beam of light shoot up to the sky. The power of our combined strength lit the sky and carried our spell on the wind.

Exhaling in a huff, I released my sisters' hands and fell back into the chair, breathing heavily. "Bella, are you alright?" My eyes slowly opened and I smiled at him, "Yes," I exhaled, "it takes a lot of energy to make changes in another witch, especially when she stronger than you." Emmett was looking over Rosalie and Jasper was brushing Alice's forehead. Edward held my face until I regained my strength, "I'm fine, really."

Edward got a chair and sat next to me, holding my hands. He picked up his head and looked at Alice, "Are you seeing Esme now?" My sisters' and my eyes flashed to him, "How did you know that?"

He looked at me, "Remember when Carlisle mentioned some vampires had special abilities?" I nodded, "Yea." He smiled at me, "Jasper and I are one of them. I can read minds and Jasper can control the emotions of those around him." Rosalie looked at Emmett and he smiled back, "I don't have any ability like that and neither does Carlisle. However, I am the physically strongest in the family." Rosalie smiled at him, "I can see that."

I looked at Edward, "What do you see?" Edward looked into my eyes, "Esme's leaving her office. She's driving back to town. From the look on her face, she's in deep thought." I looked at Alice and she nodded, "She doesn't know why she's leaving work. She just knows she has to be somewhere else." I took Alice's hand and so did Rosalie. "Great, the four them sees what's going on and we're left out," Emmett complained.

Alice and I looked at each other. I took Emmett's hand and Edward's, Alice took Jasper's hand, with Edward's other hand. Rosalie completed the circle by taking Jasper and Emmett's hands. With that, all of us saw what was happening.

Esme pulled up into the hospital's parking lot and half-ran inside. Her head whipped back and forth, searching. She went past the front desk and walked quickly through the hall. Turning the corner, she found the office she was looking for. She quickly knocked on the door, which opened before her second knock. Carlisle looked down at her and she looked at him. Without pausing, Carlisle cupped her face and pressed his lips to hers. Esme's arms wrapped around Carlisle's neck as they kissed.

Alice opened her eyes, ending the vision, "Looks like we're getting a stepdad." I smiled at the thought, but saw Edward's hand in mine. I groaned, "Great." My voice was heavy with sarcasm. Rosalie kicked me, "Bella, this is wonderful for Esme." I looked at her, "Ok, Alice, Rosalie, if Carlisle becomes to our stepdad, look to your left." They complied, "He would become your stepbrother." Rosalie bit her lip and Alice closed her eyes. We were going to be related to our boyfriends.

From that day, Esme spent her evenings with Carlisle at his house, while Edward, Emmett and Jasper stayed at ours. Unbelievably, she trusted us to be home alone with our boyfriends. Every other weekend, the Cullens went away on hunting trips. Spending more time together, I showed Edward more of what I can do.

"Just stand there and I'll show you," I called from my balcony. He smiled up at me, "Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight! For I ne'er saw true beauty till this night." I tried to hide my blush, but I couldn't disguise my giggle. He quoted from my favorite Shakespearean play. Trying to regain my focus, I sat on my banister and looked down, "Don't freak out. Just watch," I warned him.

I leapt from the banister and floated slowly down to the ground. His eyes were wide as he watched me. My hair billowed in the night air and he held out his arms to catch me, "I thought you said you don't fly." I smiled, settling into his arms, "I said we don't fly on broomsticks. Besides, that's not flying. It's falling gracefully." He chuckled as he held me in his arms, "Fine, but now it's my turn to show you something." He held me closer; the coolness of his skin washed through me, "Just relax, alright?" I smiled, "Ok."

With that, Edward dashed away from the house. We were moving so rapidly in the night, that everything was a blur. My eyes closed, praying that I didn't get sick. He moved so fluidly, it didn't even feel like we were moving. Suddenly, he stopped and I was shivering from the cold. "I'm sorry, I should have gotten you a jacket," Edward lowered me onto my feet. My teeth chattered from the cold. "W-w-w-wait a minute," I spoke through my chattering teeth.

Closing my eyes, I let anger build within me, thinking about Sean. The heat of my anger heated my body. My trembling stopped and I sighed, "That's better." Edward brushed my cheek, "Are you sure?" I smiled and nodded, holding his hand to my cheek. He looked into my eyes and shrugged out of his jacket, holding it out for me, "It would make me feel better. Besides, I don't need it." He helped me into the jacket, closing the zipper for me. "It's a little cold," I announced.

He was silent for a moment as I fixed my hair over his jacket. He sighed solemnly, "I need to ask you something?" I looked up, "Yes?" He looked away from me, "The day you saw me as I truly was, you were terrified of me. I'm more than sure Esme wasn't allowing us near you. What changed her mind?" This same question burned in my mind. First and foremost, Esme would do all she can to keep her daughter safe. What changed?

"I guess, she saw how upset we were. Though I was still shaken up about that afternoon, I still wanted to see you. I guess she cared about Carlisle and she wanted to be direct about this whole thing." Edward looked off into the trees, "Possibly. She doesn't seem the type to hide fro, problems." I laughed and it echoed in the night, "Definitely not." Claiming my hand, Edward and I walked through the dark. I could barely make out anything, but he saw everything. His hands held my waist and he lifted me over objects I didn't see. "You should know, there were nights when I dreamed about you and when I woke up, I had the feeling someone was in my room."

Edward stopped walking, "How would you know if someone was in your room?" I shrugged, "I felt it. My senses are very alert when I wake up, especially, when it's in my bedroom. I put an enchantment over it. Only those with love in their hearts for me can enter my bedroom." Neither of us spoke at that fact. Edward was in my room earlier and he entered with no problem. I had forgotten that I cast that spell. We looked at each other for a long moment, but I looked away, feeling like a coward. "Bella, say what is on your mind." My heart slammed as I tried to form the words, "Do you love me?" His hand curved the side of my face, "It took you this long to realize it." My eyes widened.

I was pulled into the security of his arms. His hand rested on my head, "When I first saw you with your sisters, I don't know why, but I could tell the three of you were different. When I said I wished for you, I wished for a woman that would accept me, no matter what I was. That she would have secrets and I would have to try to figure them out." He held my face, "When we were being told about you and your family, I heard Rosalie's thoughts trying to silence Sean. I heard Alice thinking about how to stop Rosalie, but I didn't hear your thoughts. In class, when I was close to you, I thought I would be able to hear you. But, it was your scent that captured me. Your scent was magnificent. It is sweeter than anything I've ever encountered and I have to confess. The scent of your blood was so strong that I wanted to drain it from your body. But something was stopping me." His fingers circled around my amulet, "The same was for Emmett and Jasper. We couldn't ignore any of you. I had to know you."

He smiled and the dim light glistened on his teeth, "The day you were mad with Sean, through you were angry, I've never seen you look so beautiful. As I watched you, there was a tenor in your voice that was telling me to get you away from him. And your eyes, there was a flash of silver in them. Then being in your home, there was the feeling that I belonged there with you. Bella," his thumb circled my cheek, "I do love you and I refuse to be without you." I exhaled, "Edward, I…" my words were cut off as his lips pressed onto mine.

His cool lips were strong on mine, as his arms tightened around my waist, lifting my feet from the ground. My arms tightened as he kissed me and the wind suddenly picked up, circling around us. Edward's fingers tangled in my hair, as it was blown upward. I minutely opened my eye and saw leaves swirling around us. This was a good sign. This meant two pieces were together again, a unity.

My feet were back down on the ground and his arms loosened from around me. One of his hands cupped my cheek as our lips separated and we stared into each other's eyes. The wind slowed and stopped, leaving us staring in a perfect circle of leaves. Edward brushed his fingers along my cheek and down my neck, "I love you. I can't hurt you or any of your family." My head leaned against his chest, enjoying this emotion growing within me.

Edward moved quickly and I was swept up in his arms, "And I will do all I can to protect you." The cold whipped around us as he ran back to the house. The wind was fast, but I didn't take my eyes from his face until he was placing me back on my feet on my balcony. I looked at my door, opening them. Walking into my room, I looked at him, "It was you who was in my room." He leaned his face into my hair, "Yes, I couldn't stay away." I smiled; this was what I was waiting for. _For him, I will make a great change, Creating a powerful bond for all eternity_. I looked up at Edward. He hadn't put me down. Would he change me into a vampire so that I could be with him?


	16. Beautiful Nightmare

Chapter 16 – Beautiful Nightmare

I am in love with Edward, but I don't want to be a vampire. But, that's how I wrote it; I would have to become a vampire to be with Edward. If there was a way for me to stay human and immortal, I'll find a way. There was ancient power that hasn't been tapped into and if I have to, I will do it.

After Edward left, I showered and changed into my pajamas. The house was silent as my family slept in their room, whereas I couldn't rest. I spent the rest of the night looking through Esme's books, searching for a way to live forever. While I read, fatigue was wearing on me. My bedroom was directly above this room. There was a silent creaking coming from above; my balcony doors were opening. Looking up to the ceiling, I focused on my room and held my amulet. Closing my eyes, my power went into my room, freezing the intruder. Moving quietly, I went up to my room and turned on the light.

My hands clasped over hand mouth, muffling my gasp. Edward was standing in the middle of my bedroom. "Sorry," I shook my head and released him from my spell. He turned and faced me, "How did you do that?" I grimaced, "Witch, remember?" He sighed, "I didn't mean to surprise you. How come you're still up?" I shrugged and closed my robe, "Couldn't sleep. I was reading in Esme's study. What are you doing here?"

He came towards me, "I was checking on you." I smiled at him, "You don't have to do that." His fingers stroked my cheek and they were colder from the night air, "I wanted to. I need to know you're safe." My head turned down as I tried to hide my yawn. Edward lifted me into his arms and laid me in my bed, "You need to sleep." Wanting to protest, I let him lay me down, "Tomorrow's Sunday. It's fine, I can stay up late."

Edward leaned closer to me and kissed my forehead, "You must." His words were like honey. Giving up, I waved my hand and my bedroom lights went out, "Fine, you win." When my head hit the pillows, my eyes couldn't stay open. Edward still held me in his arms, while I slept. Tonight, I dreamed an old dream.

I was on the veranda looking at the moon in the distance. _Bella_, I turned to see someone in the shadows. The dark figure was big, in the shape of a man. I began to back away. He wasn't moving and he had red eyes. I gasped and sat up, in a cold sweat, panting. I looked around my room, tears beginning to fall. "Bella!" Edward was sitting on the edge of my bed, "What is it?"

My breathing came out quickly and I was trembling. Edward took me in his arms, "Bella?" I pressed my face into his chest. There was a knock on my door, "Honey?" I was so confused and scared, I couldn't open the door. My door opened and Alice came in, shadowed by Jasper. Alice saw me in Edward's arms, trembling. "Jasper, help her." My eyes closed as my body began to relax and I sighed, "Thank you." Edward brushed my hair, "What did you dream of?" I leaned away and held my hand open.

My dream journal flew into my hand. Alice handed me a pencil and I began to draw what I saw. No one spoke as I work. Alice took the drawing, "This is what you dreamt?" Edward never released me, "Yes. I think someone is coming for me." Edward's arms tightened around me. Alice showed Jasper my drawing, "No one is going to get you, Bella." Jasper and Edward looked at each other, "I won't allow it." Edward leaned his cheek to head. Jasper looked back at my drawing, "They had red eyes?" I nodded. Edward held his hand out to his brother, taking the drawing, "And standing in the distance?"

"Yes…" I looked at Alice, "like he couldn't enter the circle." Alice and I stared at each other, "They mean you harm." I closed my eyes and covered my mouth. Danger was coming to my home and family. Edward looked down at me, cradled against his chest, "Stay home today. Do not leave the circle. We're going to talk to Carlisle." Edward kissed my cheek and set me on the bed, where Alice came to sit with me, "What is it?" Jasper and Edward walked to the balcony doors and neither of them looked at us, "Nothing, just a precaution." Jasper looked back and flashed to Alice's side, "Don't worry. We'll be right back. Call Rosalie. She and Emmett went to Tacoma. Let her know what Bella saw." He swiftly kissed Alice and dashed out of my room, gracefully leaping over the banister.

Edward stood at the doors, "Please, just stay here." He followed after his brother and I closed the doors. Sending out the call, I alerted my family to the new danger. Rosalie was home within the hour and Emmett went to meet with his brothers. Esme came home from Port Angeles on full alert. Like Edward, she didn't want us to leave the house, let alone the circle. "We won't go anywhere until they come back." Esme waved her hand and every curtain in the house closed. The shutter doors in the attic tower closed and locked on their own. The air was silent and still outside the house.

Esme looked at me, "Honey, do you have any idea when this will happen?" I shook my head, "I never know when it's going to happen." She sighed and looked at Alice, "Could you start…." Alice nodded, "I was looking since Edward and Jasper left." Rosalie was looking over my drawing, grimacing deeply, "Whoever this is, he's not get to my sister." Cupping her hands to her mouth, Rosalie blew a long breath into her palms. She opened them showing a charm, "This will alert you to anyone or anything coming for you. Wear it at all times," she gave me a ring with a small green stone. I nodded putting on the ring, "Thank you, Rose."

Now there was nothing to do but to wait. Tension was high in the house and no one spoke. The ticking of the grandfather clock echoed through the house. Alice stayed in the living room, looking in the future. Rosalie was in the attic tower, listening to her recording of the sounds of nature and meditating. Esme was in her study reading and I was in the greenhouse, making the flowers bloom.

After an hour, the telephone rang. I ran into Esme's study, where she was already talking, "Carlisle, where are you going?" They were leaving? Alice came into the room, anxious to hear of any progress. Rosalie was still upstairs, ignoring the call. She wanted some peace at the moment. Creating a chain, Alice took my hand and held Esme's wrist. Through our connections, we could hear the conversation. "Esme, it's nothing. We just need to make sure there are no stragglers in the area. We'll be back this evening." Esme sighed, "Carlisle, I don't like this." "I know, Esme. Neither do I, but we have to do this. Believe me, none of us want to leave you." Upstairs, our individual phones were ringing.

My phone was ringing on my bed. "Hello?" "Bella, do you know what's going on?" I nodded, "Yes, Edward. Please be careful." "Don't worry about me. Just do as I said, stay home and we'll be back tonight. I promised you I'll keep you safe." I bit my lip, "I know, but please…." He sighed, "Bella, I'll come back to you, I promise." "Alright. I love you." There was a pause on the phone.

Closing my eyes, I pushed my spirit out of me. My eyes opened and I was standing in front of Edward as he was on the phone talking to me. His eyes widened as he saw me as a phantom, "I do love you, Edward. Please come back to me." "I promise. I love you too." I smiled and my apparition faded away.

Returning to my own body, I stood in the center of my room, holding my phone in my hand. Alice came into the room, "Was that really necessary?" I laughed, "Well, I didn't leave the house." She laughed and shook her head, "Movie?" My eyes brightened, "Good idea."

Alice and I stayed together for the rest of the day. She hadn't seen anything, but she was still trying. Rosalie stayed in the attic. As the day went by, Esme allowed us to, at least, go on the veranda to keep ourselves busy. Alice took the flowers I made bloom and began planting them in the window boxes. She made the watering can levitate over the newly planted flowers, while I was reading my latest star chart.

In the stars, there were two eyes. Venus and Saturn were the irises, making them golden. Waving my hand slowly over the chart, I had a vision. My mother and sisters were standing in a line, all of us smiling. Our skins were pale and our eyes were gold. Esme was in the center of the line facing a man with long black hair, with even paler skin and crimson eyes. Alice was facing another man with longer black hair, but it was wavier. And Rosalie was facing a man with snow white hair and the same skin and eyes. I was facing a larger man with short, dark hair and his skin was as white as mine was, with the crimson eyes. He was smiling at me, looking me over as if he were impressed.

My eyes flashed open when I realized I was alone on the veranda. Alice must have gone inside. I started gathering my charts because I didn't want to be alone. As I stood, something told me to look behind myself. The green stone in the ring Rosalie made was glowing. When I looked, I saw him. A large man was standing in the distance, smiling at me. My eyes widened and I didn't move.

He walked towards the house, but he suddenly stopped. He tried to move forward, but he couldn't, with his teeth bared at me. He meant us harm, so he couldn't enter. I took a step towards the front of the house and he imitated me. I held my ground and we stared each other down. Suddenly, he leapt into the air, trying to get closer, but was thrown back. A roar ripped through the air and I ran into the house, "ESME!" She ran down the stairs. Alice and Rosalie were right behind her, "He's here!" Esme went for the front door, but I grabbed her arm, "He can't enter."

That was when we heard him, "Esme, please step outside with your lovely daughters." We looked at each other; none of us recognized the voice. Esme waved her hand and all of our amulets flew down the stairs and around our necks. Esme held out her amulet to me, "Combine them." I took her amulet, which was a blue star, sitting in the curve of a crescent moon. Both of which were sitting in a full sun.

Taking her protection charm, which was a purple stone, I combined them. The finished result was the sun was now purple, still holding the crescent moon, which was not silver and star, which was now gold. Esme put it around her neck, "Stay inside," she ordered. The door flew open and Esme went outside. She suddenly gasped, "Let him go!" My sisters and I ran to the front door, but it slammed in our faces. Alice placed her hand on the door and it burned her fingers. I tried for the window, but the wooden shutters closed, locking into place.

The three of us stood behind the door and listened, "Please Esme, we don't want to harm anyone." Esme's rage seeped through the door, "If that were true, you would be able to get closer. Leave my daughters out of this." The charming voice crooned, "We can't, they know too much. We must speak with them." All of us jumped from the energy that was flowing into the house. Someone tried to enter the circle.

The three of us held hands and the front door flew open. We stood on the veranda and saw the scene. Esme was standing in the front yard, facing those who couldn't enter. Looking across the field, we saw them too.


	17. Limited Choices

Chapter 17 – Limited Choices

My eyes widened as I saw what was standing before us. The men from my vision were standing outside our circle. The large one that I saw earlier was holding Jasper by his throat. "Jasper!" Alice shrieked. Before I could look at her, she ran into the front yard towards them. I ran after her, "Alice, stop!" Grabbing her around her torso, she fought with me, "Let him go now!" "Alice, you must calm down," I whispered to her. She was trembling in Rosalie's arms and mine. We were able to pull her back to the house, as she began to take in deep breaths.

The one holding Jasper released him, which helped Alice calm down. She looked straight at Jasper, who nodded to her. "He's fine," Esme whispered to us. She didn't move an inch as she watched the dark ones before us. I looked at Edward, who was staring at me. The one with long black hair looked between Edward and me, "She is lovely, Edward. For a human." My lips trembled as I walked toward them. My fingers curved into a tight fist, ready to strike at these intruders. Esme grabbed my arm, "No, Bella."

I glowered, "Aro, why are you here?" His eyes narrowed at me, "How did you know my name?" He looked to Carlisle, "Did you tell them about us?" Carlisle remained calm, "No." I remained at Esme's side, "That's my ability, the gift of knowing. You, Caius and Marcus are the Volturi, the creators and enforcers of the laws for your kind." The others looked between each other. A slight smile curved Aro's lips, "These are gifted humans, Carlisle. But they know too much about us." For a human to know about their existence, it meant death.

Esme held my wrist and pulled me behind her body, "What do you want with my family?" The one with wavy dark hair held out his hand to Aro. Aro closed his eyes and nodded, "Thank you, Marcus." I stepped away from Esme, "What did Marcus show you? How strongly bonded our family is?" Aro looked up at me, "No wonder Edward desires you so. You're a very intuitive child." He sighed, "Yes, he did. The ties between the four of you are very strong. I doubt it can be severed." One of his followers had the ability to break ties, but her reach could not go by our circle.

Aro chuckled darkly, "The four of you would make powerful additions to our little family." Esme's eyes widened, "You're not taking my daughters!" Thunder rolled above as she spoke. My eyes met with Edward's. The large man was holding him back. My teeth began to chatter from my rage. Edward minutely shook his head at me. Rosalie came to stand by Esme's side, "You still haven't answered us, what do you want?" Alice stood by my side, waiting for their answer.

The white haired man, who was Caius, looked to Aro, "They know too much about our world. They must be forfeited." Enraged roars broke out from Edward, Jasper and Emmett. "You will not touch them," Jasper declared. Caius looked at them, "It is that, then? Either they die and you are released or all of you die?" My eyes narrowed, "That's not going to happen." My family looked at me, then to each other, agreeing with me.

Carlisle was staring at Esme, "Aro, I can assure you. Esme and her daughters would not and will not betray our secrets. As you saw, they have entrusted us with their secret." Caius looked at him, "And if you betray their secret, will they betray ours? You know what is said about a woman scorned," he smirked. Rosalie glared, "You know our secret?" Her anger rippled from her, sending charges into the air. Carlisle looked at us, "They know, because of Aro's ability." Rosalie sneered and I patted her arm, "Aro's ability is similar to Edward's. He needs physical contact and sees every thought, idea and memory you've ever had. Carlisle didn't betray us. He didn't break his vow to Esme."  
I stepped away from the line, "Besides trying to distinguish what we are, why are you here? It's my understanding that you hardly leave Volterra." Aro's eyes almost smiled. He'd never encountered someone who called out his plan before him. "An immortal child in Canada. It was created near here and its coven was on the move, attempting to hide from us." He paused, "How do you know so much about us, Bella?" I glowered as he said my name, "My gift. Also, when I realized what Carlisle and his family was, I began my own research on the truth of vampires. I came across the legends of St. Marcus and the Volturi. And Edward provided me with more solid information."

Aro looked back at Edward, "Felix, bring him." The large man took Edward by his throat, towing him closer to Aro. I gasped and stepped closer. "No Bella, don't move," Edward tried to fight off Felix, but the large man just chuckled. "Edward, my young friend, you have told this human too much. Please, let me hear your story." Felix clutched Edward's arm and held out his hand. Aro took the out stretched hand and closed his eyes. After a tortuous minute, Aro opened his eyes, "Her blood smells marvelous." He looked at a hooded figure behind Felix, "Demetri, bring her to me." I stepped back as the named Demetri looked up and smiled. "No!" Edward roared and broke out of Felix's hold.

Moving quickly, Demetri was on the ground. Felix flashed to Demetri and caught Edward by his throat, throwing him into a tree. The crack of the wood sounded through the trees. The magnificent spruce fell to the crowd from the impact. My eyed widened as Felix went for Edward again, "Leave him alone!" My scream shook the ground and wind gusted around the Volturi's line. Some of them gasped as the earth was unsteady beneath their feet.

Edward leapt to his feet, away from a charging Felix. His wrestling matches with Emmett provided the perfect practice for this fight. His family was free from their capturers, as they were unprepared for the brief earthquake. The Cullens ran across the circle and stood with my family. Edward held me in his arms, seeing that I wasn't harmed. The Cullens then took protective stances in front of us.  
The Volturi stared, while others were beginning to span out. "How did that happen?" Marcus asked, for once looking interested in what was happening. Carlisle took one step toward the Volturi, "That's none of your concern. Will you not leave these ladies in peace? They are of no harm to our kind." There was a flash of energy, as it surged upward around the wall of the circle. It occurred again and everyone gasped. The surge traveled over us in the form of a dome. The white charge disappeared to the front of our house. This was a physical showing of how wide our family's protection was.

Edward looked to the line, "It won't work, Jane." Aro looked at Jane, "Dear one, leave them." My sisters and I looked at each other; what were we up against? Jasper looked back at Alice and kissed her forehead, "I won't let them near you." Edward didn't look back, but he took my hand and pulled me closer to him. His arms were wrapped around me and my chin was on his shoulder. Looking from the corner of my eye, Emmett was holding Rosalie and Esme were standing at Carlisle's side, looking at what was threatening our families. No, not families. One family; we stood as one to face the vicious condemners.  
"Carlisle, I have great respect for you and your sons, but this does not change my decision. These ladies must either die or..." Edward stiffened and held me closer, "They must be changed themselves." I gasped. This is what I wished for, but not like this. I love Edward and I want to be with him. Next to me, Alice's face was pressed into Jasper's chest. I took her hand and felt her internal fear. From our connection, I saw her vision.

She, Rosalie, Esme and I were standing between Aro and the Cullens. The four of us had red eyes, pale skin, but not with despaired looks on our faces. We were all going to become vampires. She didn't release my hand, _It will not happen tonight_. There was another part to her vision and it made me sick. Aro had another reason for being here tonight.

Edward whispered to me, "Please, Bella, don't." I ignored him and moved out of his hold. This must be exposed, "Aro!" He looked at me, almost adoringly, "Yes, Bella?" I looked at Esme, who was now holding Alice's hand. "What if we become immortals? Will you leave us in peace?" Those cold dead eyes almost danced for a moment. Aro cupped his hands, "Of course. Our only concern is exposure." My sisters and mother stepped forward, Esme standing a little further ahead, "Really? Are you sure? You would leave us and let us live our lives, along with Carlisle and his sons?" Aro nodded and Rosalie scoffed, "Really? Then why does Alice see you threatening Carlisle and his family? You want us to go with you."  
Carlisle stepped forward, with Esme. The sense of betrayal coming from Carlisle was strong, "Aro, what are your true thoughts about Esme and her daughters?" It wasn't often Aro was caught in a lie and confronted about it. Aro sighed deeply, "Esme and her beautiful daughters are nothing I have ever encountered before. I'm truly anxious to see what they abilities will be." Esme's anger hit me and I shared her feelings.

"You will stay away from my children," she spat. Caius stood forward, one footstep away from the circle, "You should consider it an honor that Aro has interest in your little girls." He sneered the word 'girls.' Alice's head snapped up, "Watch how you talk to us. We've tortured people for less than." Caius chuckled darkly, "Please, child. What can you possibly do to us?" Alice and I looked at each other, _That sounds like a challenge to me_. I nodded, _Let's do it_.

We cut our eyes to the edge of the circle, setting the line on fire. The blaze ignited and went around the entire circle. Our family stood in the center of the inferno. The intense heat didn't penetrate the circle. Edward tugged at my hand, "Put it out." I noticed his worry and I gusted out a breath. The wind flew around the circle, putting out the flames. The Volturi line was clearly shaken up by this development. Their followers whispered among themselves. "How dare you?" Caius pointed at Alice.

He nodded to the hooded figures behind himself. Two more came forward, a small girl smiled as a boy who could have been her twin stepped forward. The other was tall and elegant. He held his chin in the air, as if looking down his nose at us. "Demetri, bring that child here." Jasper hissed. I watched as Demetri leap into the air. He tried for us, but was thrown backwards into the trees.

Demetri landed on his feet and ran back to his line, "Felix." Felix looked at us and they tried again, only to be thrown once more. The invisible wall held against their brutal attack. Esme huffed as she watched them, "You can't enter here." She walked forward, pointing to the circle on the ground, "This is our circle of protection. Those who mean to harm our family enter here." Energy surged upward again. Esme's eyes narrowed at the same girl named Jane. Jane smiled and Esme glowered, "My turn."

With a swift movement, Esme waved her arm across herself and Jane was knocked to the ground, holding her cheek. She hissed and Carlisle flashed to Esme's side, taking a protective stance in front of her. Jane sprang to her feet, standing on the other side of the circle, snarling at Esme. Edward turned to me, "Stay here," he looked at Emmett. Emmett towed Rosalie to me and stood in front of me.

"Aro, it is clear these ladies aren't any danger to us. They have their own formidable abilities that they must protect. Leave them be." Aro stared at Edward, "If you will let us have their story, I will deliberate." Carlisle and Edward looked at each other and then looked at Esme. She sighed, taking Carlisle's hand; they walked to the edge of the line. Fortifying herself, she held out her hand to Aro, allowing it to fall outside the line. She planted her feet, so that she couldn't be moved. Aro took her hand and closed his eyes, taking in all her memories, thoughts and ideas. From Esme, Aro was learning almost everything about our family. I squeezed Rosalie's hand as we waited for Aro to release our mother's hand.

Smiling, Aro kissed Esme's hand, "You are truly a kind-hearted woman to take in such talented daughters. The gift of control," he brushed her hand, taking it into both of his, "the gift of creation," he looked at Rosalie, "the gift of seeing," his eyes fell on Alice, "and the gift of knowing," his cold eyes fell on me. "All of you would truly make fascinating immortals." He released Esme's hand and she stepped back, "What to do with you now?"

Aro sighed and Carlisle took Esme in his arms and flew back to where we stood. Emmett stood aside and Edward put his arms around me, "I'm so sorry I couldn't protect you from what I was." I looked at him, "Edward, don't. It'll be fine." Aro quietly deliberated with his followers. Edward brushed his forehead against mine, "This is not what I wanted for you." Lightly touching his neck, I let the words of my spell drift into his mind, _For him, I will make a great change, Creating a powerful bond for all eternity_. His gold eyes looked into mine, _This way, we can be together forever_.

Aro looked back to us, ready to announce his decision.


	18. True Power

Chapter 18 – True Power

Esme looked at him, before Aro could speak, "Before you say anything, I have a compromise." Aro tilted his head slightly, "Yes?" She stood away from Carlisle, "Leave my daughters and the Cullens and I'll gladly be changed into a vampire and go with you." "No!" my sisters and I screamed. Each of us ran to her side, clutching at her arms. What was she saying? She was willing to leave us? Esme looked at us, "I told you, I won't lose any of you," she looked back to the Volturi, then to us, "I can't have any of you be in danger." Esme turned away from us, but was stopped by Carlisle, "Esme, please, don't do this." She looked up at him and touched her fingers to his cheek, "I have to. My daughters are in trouble and I have to protect them. Wouldn't you do the same for your sons?"

She looked to Aro, "Will you consider it?" "No," Carlisle spoke up, "Aro, please, don't take Esme from her family. Her daughters need her. She is their mother." Aro ignored Carlisle's pleas, "I'm sorry, Esme, but that isn't enough. Your daughters would still be liabilities." Esme shook her head, "They wouldn't say anything, because they know it would endanger me. Aro, leave them and the Cullens and I'll go with you. As you said, I would make an interesting immortal."

My teeth chattered and tears fell from my eyes as she spoke. Thunder rumbled in the distance, "Please Esme," I cried, "we do need you." Alice and Rosalie looked at me, their eyes red with tears as well. Alice, Rosalie and I looked at each other, anger growing inside each of us. Aro raised an eyebrow and smiled, "Then, yes. We will leave your daughters, if you will come with us." Anger exploded from the three of us. We stepped in front of Esme and raised our hands into the air, "You will not touch our mother."

Standing together, lightening crashed in front of the Volturi and their guards. The bolt was dangerously close to the front, making them step back. Alice waved her arms, facing her palms toward the intruders and small twisters formed around them. Rosalie imitated Alice's arm motions and fire came from the sky and swirled around the twisters. I held my arms in the air, my hands crossing and more lightening crashed down around them. "Stop it!" Esme ordered us, but we ignored her. Together, my sisters and I controlled the elements. We could make fire rain from the very sky and the earth crack. No one was making us lose our mother.

The three of us faced our palms to the Volturi and beams of energy flew out of our palms, kicking up the ground. This is the most powerful spells we knew and it was almost too much to handle. The streaks of energy cut trenches in the ground as it struck down on the Volturi. Few of their followers were caught in the energy and immediately burned to death.

Blood began to flow out of my nose, but I couldn't break my hold. My anger was amplifying my power. Suddenly, a flash of energy knocked my sisters and I off our feet. Looking up, Esme's palm was faced towards us. "I told you to stop it. You're making it worse than it needs to be." I wiped away the blood from my face as Esme scolded. She looked over her shoulder, "Edward, Emmett, Jasper, hold them!" The three of them looked at Esme and she glared back, "Now!" They had us on our feet and held us to their bodies.

"Please Bella, you must calm down," Edward pleaded with me. I huffed, "How can I calm down? I'm about to lose my mom. I can't lose another one." My head hung in the disappointment that I couldn't hold onto my own mother. Esme came over to each of us and kissed our foreheads, "I'm doing this for you." Tears fell from my eyes and my voice broke, "Please, Mom, I don't care. I'll let them change me too. I can't lose you, Mom." She looked over at my sisters, who were watching us. "Esme, please don't leave us," Rosalie whispered. Alice was biting her lip and shaking her head, "You can't do this."

Esme walked over to Alice and hugged her and Rosalie. I felt like I was going to collapse. This is all wrong. Esme turned away from us, but Rosalie grabbed her wrist, "Please. I agree with Bella. Let them change all of us and we can stay together. We're supposed to stay together." Esme looked at each of us, "That's not the life I want for you." Another surge of energy flew upward from the circle line. I looked over Esme's shoulder and Jane was glaring at us. I glared back, "Aro," he looked at me, his face trying to remain composed, "Jane doesn't want Esme to go with you."

Esme tried to silence me, but I ignored her, "In fact, she doesn't want any of us to be changed. She sees us as a threat." A sudden roar erupted from Jane. Rosalie tried to step away from Emmett, but he refused to release her, "Aro, I refuse to be parted from my mother. If you take her, you _have_ to take me." Alice and I looked at her, "Me too," I declared. "And me," Alice spoke up.

We were giving him exactly what he wanted. Aro looked between our faces, almost salivating with excitement, "That would be best. Being new to this life, you will require proper instruction." A hiss escaped from Edward's lips, "Aro!" I looked up at him and he was glaring, "If all of them are changed, there is no need for any of these ladies to go with you. Our family is more than capable of instructing them in this life." Caius spoke up, "If they are changed, will you and your family take responsibility for them?" Carlisle took Esme's hand, "Of course we will."

"I don't think so, Aro." All of us looked at Edward and he looked down at me, "You will not separate any of us from each other and we will _not_ join your Guard." Aro sighed deeply, "That's a shame." Aro looked at Felix, then back to us, "But, still, these ladies are liabilities. Will you change them or submit their lives to us?" Emmett scoffed, "If you think you'll take Rosalie away from me," he snarled, "I will rip Felix apart myself."

Felix snarled back, "You choose those human females over your own kind?" Alice grimaced, "Watch what you say about my family." Felix glowered at her, "What more can you do?" Are they gluttons for punishment? Alice smiled at me, "Bella." I looked at her, "I don't think we want to do that, Alice." Rosalie smiled, "Yes, we do." I shrugged, "Fine." Esme looked at me, "Bella, no."

"Esme, Alice has seen that we will eventually become vampires, but Aro will threaten the Cullens to make us go with them. Let's show them what we can really do." Esme sighed, knowing we weren't going to be threatened and back down, "Very well." She looked at the Volturi, "Let them see what _will_ happen if you threaten the Cullens." She looked at me, "Go ahead, Bell." I patted Edward's hand, "Trust me," I whispered and he released me.

Standing in the middle of both groups, I stared ahead to the Volturi. My hands rose into the air, "I call forth the guardians of this land," thunder rumbled in the distance, "I summon the true enemies of these beings." My eyes widened as the color of my true power set into my eyes. The wind increased and I completed my incantation, "I call forth the earth bound protectors of this land. I summon forth the ancient wolves," wind gusted around me, blowing my hair upward.

Behind me, the heavy footsteps of the massive beasts grew louder. The earth trembled as they ran, coming to our aid. Edward and his brothers hissed as the large wolves came close to them. Several large wolves enetered our family's protective circle. They breathed heavily as moved into sight. The wolves were the sizes of horses, the black one taller than Emmett. I looked at the wolves, "The Cullens are no harm to us." I pointed at the Volturi, "But they do. They cannot enter our circle, because they are threatening our family."

The largest black wolf's muzzle pulled back, exposing his massive sharp teeth. The large russet one was closest to me and a gray one was on my other side. My fingers pulled through the russet fur of the closest wolf, "They threatened to take away my mother and pull apart my family. I don't want them here," I informed the wolves, "None of us want them here." Stepping back, the wolves advanced on the Volturi.

Several members of the Guard stood in front Aro, Caius and Marcus, crouching in defense. I smiled smugly at them. Caius was clearly shaken up seeing living werewolves. "Will you leave our family in peace?" Aro and Caius' eyes were wide, taking in the wolves. The third wolf stood by my family, snarling. Esme, Alice and Rosalie stood between the wolf and the Cullens. Though they were under my power, it wasn't in the nature to keep their back turned to vampires.

Felix spoke through his teeth, "How dare you?" I rolled my eyes, "Leave now and the wolves will not bother you. Stay and well, it'll be interesting to watch." My anger was ebbing, making my amulet glow. "Aro, Caius, Marcus, trust me when I say, my family will not be a threat to your world. We'll be joining it, but we will _not_ join your Guard." I stepped forward and the black wolf followed me, walking to the edge of the circle, "We will be changed and _we_ will come to you to prove it. I won't have you near my home again." The black wolf snarled and I patted its bulging shoulder. Its fur was standing on edge, looking to rip apart its enemy. "Do you agree to that?"

Aro glared at me; he wasn't one to be threatened and intimidated, e3specially not in front of his followers. "Yes, my brothers and I are amenable to that. You have six months to come to Volterra to prove your truth." I looked back to my family, "Do we agree?" I didn't need to look back to know they were deliberating. "No," Edward came by my side, ignoring the wolf, "Bella, don't do this." I looked up at him, "I've seen it. It will happen."

I looked back to my sisters and Esme; they were all looking at the Cullens. Esme looked at me, "We agree." I looked back at Aro, "Good. Then it's agreed." I smiled sweetly, "You can leave now." All pleasantries left Aro's face, "Carlisle, this is an interesting life you lead. We look forward to seeing the new additions to your family in a few months, or we will return."

Carlisle held Esme closer to him, wrapping his arm across her chest, "I understand. Go in peace, Aro." None of them moved an inch. I sighed, snapped my finger and the wolves took several steps forward. The black one was sticking his head over the line, ready to lunge. Aro looked at me and turned away, followed by his procession of guards. As they were gone, I snapped my fingers again. The wolves departed as well. They followed the way Aro and his followers went, ensuring that their homeland was safe once again.

I turned and Edward hugged me, crushing me gently to his chest, "Don't ever scare me like that again." I smiled, clutching my fingers into his shoulder, "I'm sorry." I looked back at Esme and she was locked in Carlisle's embrace. He released her and she smiled at me. Alice and Rosalie took her hands and they came over to Edward and me. I smiled and hugged them. My sisters and I held Esme a little too close for longer than was necessary. Rosalie looked at her, "You shouldn't have done that. Don't sacrifice yourself for us again." She sighed, "It's over now, girls. Let's get inside."


	19. Last Chance

Chapter 19 – Last Chance

Our family sat in the drawing room, trying to remain calm after our ordeal. The Volturi came to our doorstep, with the intent of ending our lives. Carlisle spoke about their history. In the past, Aro would kill few and spear the others, only if they agreed to join his ranks. "You think that is what he had planned tonight?" Esme asked. "Most likely," Edward stated, "He's wanted me for decades, but I refused to join him. Also, he wouldn't mind if Carlisle rejoined him once more." Esme turned to look at Carlisle. He shook his head slowly, "Not as a fighter, but as a confidante." Rosalie leaned against Emmett and he was drawing circles in her palm.

"How were you able to control the wolves?" Jasper questioned me. I was beginning to wonder when someone was going to ask me that. I bit my lip gently, "Didn't I mention that I have control over animals?" Carlisle was now holding Esme's hand, "How did you know about them?" Esme looked up him, "I've known about wolves for years. And I told the girls about them. They needed to know what else was out there."

Alice tugged Jasper's arm, "Come on, I'll explain it to you, again." They headed off to the greenhouse. Emmett and Rosalie disappeared into the attic, while Edward and I remained in the drawing room, to talk with Esme and Carlisle. Carlisle was telling us more about his experiences with the Volturi. "Aro loves power. Today was just a glimpse of his Guard. He surrounds himself with the powerful and loyal. Some of the Guard call him 'Master.' I believe that he will stand by his word and not threaten us to get you to join his Guard, but he won't give up in trying to get you to join him."

I could feel Edward's eyes on me. He brushed back my hair and pulled me into his chest, kissing my forehead. Edward wasn't going to allow anyone to threaten me. "They aren't getting them. Carlisle, Aro has great respect for you. Besides, seeing how they were today, he may want to rethink coming back." I tried to hide my smile, but I couldn't deny the fact that I was proud of our family. Esme looked at me, _You scared the hell out of them with the wolves_. Edward's thumb was stroking my cheek, "But he will try again. You exposed his fear. He was scared, seeing what influences they had over the elements and calling the wolves," he laughed, "that truly unnerved him."

Edward cupped my face and made me look at him, "Having just Bella will be like having a crown jewel for him." I smiled wickedly, "He's not taking me from our home." His thumb stroked my cheek, as he pulled my face closer to kiss me. Esme cleared her throat. I waved my hand, knocking her back into her seat. Edward laughed against my lips, releasing me. My amulet surged and I patted it, "Alice's seen something."

Rosalie was already off coming down from the attic, shadowed by Emmett, "Alice!" The rest of us followed, to find Alice's face pressed into Jasper's neck, sobbing. Esme took her shoulders, "What is it?" The vision must have frightened her. Edward stiffened and tightened his hold on me, "Aro's being sneaky. Demetri and Felix are still here. They're ordered that if they come across any of you, they are to change you and take you back to Volterra." Rosalie and I looked at each other in horror.

I scoffed, "Wow and here I thought he would be honorable." Rosalie closed her eyes, "Alice, what if they came across the Cullens?" She took a deep breath, trying to stop her cries, "Rip them apart." She sniffled, "Bella," her voice broke. I immediately took her hand. My limp body was in Felix's arms, with Demetri's teeth dripping with my blood. I released her hand as if it was blazing hot and walked away from everyone. If they wanted me…. I half-ran to the front door, ready to throw myself outside to keep everyone safe, but stone arms caught my waist, "Bella, stop."

I struggled in Edwards's hold, "Let me go. I'll end this!" He wouldn't allow me to stand on my feet, until I was calm. Turning in his arms, I cried into his chest, "Esme was right. I made things worse." He kissed my cheek, "They won't get any of you." My eyes opened slowly, "No, they won't." I sighed and looked into the living room. "Come with me." I took his hand and guided him through the living room, to the glass display case with the book.

Esme, Rosalie and Alice entered the living room at the same time, "Bella, are you sure about this?" I nodded, "It's the only way to keep them away from us." Esme shook her head and took out the book from its case. Edward pulled my hand to his chest, "What are you doing?" I looked up at him, "Energy Transference. I will transfer myself in to Demetri and convince Felix to return to Volterra. I'll travel with them to Volterra and doing a sealing spell around city. With that spell, Aro, Caius and Marcus will be sealed to Volterra. They won't be able to leave."

It was the only way to keep our family safe. In time, I may let them out of the city, but that won't be for a long while. Rosalie's eyes widened, "That's too dangerous. If they catch on to what you're doing, they'll kill you and you will be lost to us for eternity." My eyes cast down, "I know, but I brought this on us." Edward spun me around, "You are not doing this!"

Esme stepped toward me, "I agree. There is no way you're doing that." My heart sank. I wanted to protect my family, but they wouldn't let me. Esme began to smile, "Besides, there's another way of us getting to Volterra." I looked at her in confusion and Alice clapped her hands together, "Still, that would take a lot of energy." Esme held the book; her fingernails held the edge of the cover and flipped the book open. The pages fluttered to the one she wanted, "You girls did this a little while ago beautifully. If we do it again, we can go to Volterra, perform the sealing spell and come back to our bodies."

Carlisle came into the room, hearing our plan, "No, that's too much. We can just change you and that will put an end to it." Esme shook her head and looked at Rosalie, Alice and me, "We saw it. Aro won't give up. But sealing them to their city, they'll be less of a threat. Besides, after we do this, I can make protection charms for you and your sons, so that none of the Guard can touch you." It was a plan and a better one than I had. A witch is as powerful as her coven. But this wasn't a coven, but a family. Rosalie looked up, "I'll get everything ready."

Tonight, the Cullens stayed at our house, by our request. We wanted them to stay within the protective circle. Though they can handle the two guards, it made me feel better that Edward was staying with me. It was late in the evening and I grew tired. Edward and I laid in my bed, quietly listening to the wind. No doubt, Carlisle, Jasper and Emmett were trying to take Esme and my sister out of our endeavor. It was sweet, but this needed to be done. If one of the Guards members fell by the Cullens' hands, what would Aro do then?

"Bella, this is too dangerous. I just found you, I don't want to lose you." I pulled myself closer to him. My body curved itself to his. A discover we made was that I was able to hide some thoughts of my family from Edward. My family and I wanted something from each of them before we performed this dangerous spell. I needed to know, truly, that Edward loved me. That he would move heaven and earth to be with me and protect me.

Catching strands of his hair between my fingers, I feverishly kissed Edward, "You're not going to lose me. You're going to have me forever." As he kissed me, I waved my hand over his frame, lowering his inhibitions. I knew I was taking advantage of him, but I wanted him. I haven't known Edward for long, but he was meant to be mine and I was made to be with him.

Edward lowered my back against the bed and held himself above me. His hand caressed my thigh, around my knee and down my leg. He hitched it over his waist. Blood pumped harshly in my veins as I wanted more of him. He pulled away from my lips, "I can't." I didn't let my fingers leave his hair, "Please." He looked at me, "I could hurt you." I smiled, "You won't. I trust you." Edward stared into my eyes and I placed my hand on his chest, continuing to lower his inhibitions. "Edward, I love you. I need you." He kissed me, "I love you too."

My eyes opened and everything was in a haze. I was laying across his chest, with his arms around me. It's been more than 20 hours since the Volturi left. It was safe to believe that they were back in Volterra. Sitting up, I looked at Edward, who seemed content, "Are you alright?" I smiled, "I'm wonderful." Glancing at the clock, I bit down on my lip, "It's almost time." He sat up and kissed me, "Please, be careful. I want you back." I smiled and brushed his chin, "I will." Looking for my robe, my eyes widened, "What happened to my headboard?" The once beautifully carved oak headboard was almost in splinters. Bits of dust still floated in the air. Splinters were scattered on the floor. A gaping hole was in the solid wood and the frame was destroyed.

Edward grimaced, "I'll replace that." Shaking my head, I laughed; better the headboard than me. Getting out of bed and ignoring the destruction, I got dressed in my black dress. The house was warm from the fire tunneling its heat through the vents. Going down the back stairs, Esme was already finishing the potion, while I began to make breakfast for my sisters. The clock showed almost one in the afternoon. We were asleep for a long time.

Brushing past Esme, I felt her euphoric mood. Rosalie and Alice sat at the long table in the kitchen, eating the breakfast. Rosalie was humming to herself as she twirled her finger, directing the spoon to stir in her tea. Both my sisters and mother were completely happy. While eating, Jasper showed us where Volterra was on a globe. "Damn, we're close to Rome," Alice complained, "They have the best shoe stores." My knee knocked hers, "Next trip."

Going into the dining room, Esme was asking the Cullens to watch us carefully. "Carlisle, please monitor our bio-rhythms." Carlisle cupped her face and kissed her, "I will." All four of us sat at the table, sitting in front of what we had to do. Edward, Emmett and Jasper stood behind our chairs, watching us with concern in their eyes. The thistle and seeds began to burn. Esme and Alice waved their hands and the cauldron from the fireplace set itself on the center of the table. Taking the potion into individual bowls, then pouring in the ashes, each of us held hands and inhaled the billowing smoke deeply. My family and I left our bodies and flew across the world to protect the ones we love.


	20. Enough

Chapter 20 – Enough

Leaving our bodies, the four of us flew east. In our astro-projection forms, we moved faster than a plane. In no time, we were in Italy and a little after that we reached the city walls of Volterra. Floating above the city, there was building that held the façade that the Volturi in the center of the city. Within their walls, Aro was pacing back and forth as his brothers sat on their thrones. Aro's expression was unreadable as he walked back and forth, "Those women must join our ranks. They would be magnificent, especially the young ones. How they controlled the elements and called the wolves. We must have them." In the room, there were two women with them. One held Aro's shoulder, stopping him, "You will have them, my love. It will take time." He gently kissed her hand, "Thank you, mi amore." This woman was Aro's

In this form, we didn't need to move our lips to communicate with each other. _I was right, he wasn't going to give up_, I stated. Esme nodded, _Let's find some vessels and do what we have to do_. We left the building and flew out to the square. It was night and the people were heading home. In the square, there were scant pickings for vessel. Separating, we found four women and possessed their bodies. In our burrowed bodies, we prepared for what we had to do. Collecting 24 pure white stones, which wasn't easy to do, then lay them around the walls of the city. Rosalie remained calm as she walked pass on the of the Volturi Guard members on patrol. His red eyes followed her as she walked by. She nodded nonchalantly to me, _Let's get this done_.

In the center of town, there was a large fountain. The marble edge was knee high and the fountain stood tall, spewing clear water into the air. Going into a small café, I went to the restroom and left my burrowed body. Once in the air, I drew the eye of containment, then settled it into the fountain, letting its energy fall over the structure and spread through the ground. To my eyes, I watched as the energy made its way to the Volturi's home. To anyone else, they wouldn't have seen it.

Going back to my body, before the host could awaken, I left the bathroom and bought muffins and coffee for the others. The four of us sat together inside. Rosalie, pointing out the Volturi guard, she used her influence and he walked away from the square. He could not see what we were doing. We ate in silence, nervous about the power were about to tap into. To complete this spell, we would have to stand at the four corners. Leaving the city gates, Esme began to prepare Alice and Rosalie. She gave them their supplies to set up at their corners.

"Now find your points and we can start." Each of us held one candle and blew on the wicks, igniting them. "Ok, take your places," Esme instructed. We walked around the walls of the city, standing at the direct points of North, South, East and West. Standing at our positions, I felt my mother and sisters raise their arms to the air, facing away from the city. I copied them. To perform this spell, we had to communicate with our minds.

Esme began, _Hail to the guardians of the watchtowers of the north, by the powers of mother and earth. Hear us_. Rosalie spoke her part, _Hail to the guardians of the watchtowers of the east, by the powers of air and invention. Hear us_. Alice, _Hail to the guardians of the watchtowers of the south, by the powers of fire and feeling. Hear us_. And myself, _Hail to the guardians of the watchtowers of the west, by the powers of water and intuition. Hear us_. Esme finished, _We come to you on this All Hallows Eve to ask for your binding power. Within these walls, dark creatures linger. Aro, Caius and Marcus, we ask that you contain them here. Keep them within these walls, so that they cannot harm our family or anyone else; human and vampire alike. We ask the guardians of the to keep these dark beings here_, the wind increased, _Please, heed our call this night. Keep them within these walls until there is a time when they are no longer needed. We offer the blood of our vessels as a small sacrifice_, each of us sliced our palms and pressed them to the wall, _for these creatures to be held within these walls_. Thunder crashed loudly above, as the guardians heard our call. Their power poured over the city. We stepped away from the wall, seeing the hue of red fall over Volterra. _It is done_, Esme said to us.

We left our burrowed bodies and joined hands above the city, _Hear us, oh great guardians and answer us_. Thunder rolled against, sending a bolt of lightening surging through us and striking the fountain. The eye of containment was permanently sealed within these walls. The dark lords would not be able to harm us again. Exhaling, my family held each other's hands and flew back home.

My eyes flashed opened and my body shook violently. "Bella!" Edward held my face, but it didn't calm me. My body convulsed beneath his hands, "Bella, you must calm down or you'll go into cardiac arrest." Along with my gasps and trembling, there were Esme, Rosalie and Alice's as well. Edward clutched my face and looked into my eyes, "Bella, please. Breathe deeply." My breath staggered as I tried to calm my body. A wave of calm washed over me, soothing my convulsing enough for me to gain control of my appendages. The wave didn't stop until my eyes closed and my mind slipped into unconsciousness.

My eyes opened, looking up at the ceiling of my bedroom. There was something cold and hard against my forehead. It didn't hurt, but I wanted to move it away. My eyes fluttered, trying to see clearly. There was dim sunlight; was it dawn or dusk? Turning my head, Edward was lying next to me, "Bella?" I smiled weakly, "Yes." He sighed deeply, "How do you feel?" A lump was forming in my throat, "Tired. What time is it?"

He brushed my lips with his fingers, "It's just after seven in the morning." Slowly moving my body, I was ensuring that all of me had returned. Sighing deeply, the lump hardened, "I need to eat something." A cool hand caressed my cheek, "What do you want?" Trying to blink my eyes into focus, I sat up slowly, "I can get it." Edward held my shoulders and made me lie back down. His hands were gentle as he held me, "No, you need to rest. I'll get it for you." My hand rested on his, "I said I can get it." Downstairs, the kettle was already boiling water and toast popped out of the toaster.

Edward slightly turned his head, hearing the inanimate objects moving by themselves. My eyes closed as my senses opened to gain better control of what I was doing. The cabinets opened and closed as my breakfast set itself on the center table. I smiled, "Would you mind?" He looked at me and smiled, "Of course." He swiftly kissed me before he left. He was gone and back before I could blink.

"How did you do that?" Edward asked, setting the tray on my bedside table. I smiled, taking up the coffee mug, "Esme taught me." Edward helped me sit up, cradling me into his chest, "Just eat and rest." The hot tea worked its course through my body, warming every part of me. The spell was exhausting and it took a lot out of Rosalie the last time we performed it. "Do you think it worked?" Edward asked as he handed me the plate of toast. I huffed as I took a bite, "I think so. We've never gotten that kind of reaction out of the guardians before."

"Guardians?" he asked. "The guardians of the watchtowers of north, south, east and west. That is who we call upon in time of aid. They are the ones we call to power our circle of protection. They are kind of like the ones who maintain the balances of nature. If a witch calls upon them too much and misuses their gifts, they are the ones to take her power." Edward listened intently as I told him the secrets of my world.

"Our powers are a gift, to be used at our own discretion, but not to be abused. Like, we can't use them to make money or recall those from the dead. Money is not part of nature and bring someone from the dead is against nature." Edward's golden eyes hardened, "Like me." My eyebrows pulled together, "Why would you say that?" He didn't answer me, only stared away from me. Brushing my fingertips over his temple, I felt his remorse and disgust at what he was. Edward hated that he was a vampire, but he only continued to live his life because it would pain Carlisle to lose his eldest son.

Leaning closer to him, my lips brushed his cold cheek, "You are not dead, nor are you undead. Yours is a different race of people, like the werewolf. Like anyone, you take the life that is given you and you live it as best as you can. That is why you are my earth-bound protector. You were here before me to grow stronger, so that when the time came, you would be at your best in protecting me. This is the truth and do not let anyone sway from this."

Edward's gold eyes looked over my face, "How can that be true? You've seen what my kind can do?" "What they choose to do. This life, like any life, it is about choices. I was given the life of a witch and I choose to live with my family and learn as much as I can, to be a better person." "But I wasn't given the choice." My head shook slowly, "You don't remember?" The corner of Edward's eye twitched for a moment. Pulling his face to mine, my lips pressed to his, showing him his own forgotten memory.

A beautiful young man lays dying. His parents long gone from this earthly plane and he was all alone. A kind doctor who swore to his patient that he would do all he could to save her ailing son. The golden-haired doctor leaned over the beautiful boy, "Edward, this is Dr. Cullen. Your mother has asked me to save your life. There is a way for me to do it, but I want you to decide. I am not human, but I live among them. Edward, I am a vampire and, by your decision, I will change you. You will live forever and I will teach all I know. We will walk as brothers and see the world change. Do you want this?"

Hazy in his sickness, the bronzed-hair boy nodded, "Yes, I don't want to die." Dr. Cullen wheeled the bed out of the room of death. Tightly wrapping a blanket around the weak body, Carlisle carried the boy to his home. He was laid on a couch in a dark house, "Forgive me, Edward, but this will be painful." His emerald eyes barely opened, "You promised my mother that I will live. Please don't let her request be in vain." Pursing his lips, Carlisle bit into the neck of the young man that did not become his brother, but his son.

The kiss ended and Edward stared in a daze. He had forgotten all about his last moments as a human. He was dying and he chose to live as Carlisle did. "How did you know that? How did you do that?" My head leaned against his chest, "Touching your forehead, I saw your memories, especially your human ones. I was able to do that, because it was a spell. One kiss and you will see what you've forgotten. I wanted you to know you made the choice and lived it as best as you could. Even when you hunted human men, you hunted those who hunted others."

Edward was going to protest, but my fingers lightly touched his lips, "You've saved more lives than you know." Looking back at my desk, down to the floor, the wooden plank lifted away and a cloth wrapped item came into sight. Using what little strength I had, I went to get it. Edward was there before me, unwrapping it. I helped me to sit on the floor next to him. I took the book from him and flipped open the pages, "Read this."

Edward quickly read the old hand writing. He read silently for a long time, until his eyes met mine. "I save your grandmother when she was a young woman." I nodded, "My grandmother Marie, she was in Washington DC, visiting her aunt and she spoke of a blur that saved her from being mugged. It told her to run and she listened, making it home safely. No one believed her, but my dad's family kept it as an inside joke. I know all this because of my dad's old journals." My fingers pulled through Edward's hair, "It was you. I know it."

Edward's expression was blank, "I saved your grandmother." This was a glimpse of how powerful I really was. Edward reached his hand up to my face, gently caressing my cheek, "I remember her. She had the same eyes and dark hair. I thought her eyes were interesting for a moment, but I had to focus before she could see me." I smiled at him, "She's wanted to thank you." Edward leaned closer to me, "I should be thanking her. It's her beautiful granddaughter who's given me her kind heart." My lips were on his, expressing my feelings for him. Edward had become so important to me in such a short amount of time. To some, it would be eerie, but for us, it was perfect.

Moving back to my bed, we laid together for hours, just talking. My eyes grew heavy and Edward began to hum a tune that was so soothing. When I woke, the sky was darker outside my window. "Good night, Bella," he whispered to me. Sighing, I sat up; feeling much better, "What time is it?" He smiled, "After eight." My eyebrow arched, "Wow. That spell really did take a lot out of me." It slept for more than four hours. Groaning, I got out of bed. I needed to move and be active. I hated wasting a day.

Fingers brushed my hair, "Are you sure you're alright?" I looked at him, "Yes, I just want to check on everyone." White hands held my waist, "Esme's already done it. She's on her way here, now." Exhaling, I sat back on my bed and Edward opened my door. "I could've done it myself," I explained. He smiled at me as Esme came in, "Are you alright?" I nodded, "Yes. Still a little weak, but a lot better." She didn't eye Edward as any mother would seeing her daughter's boyfriend in her room.

Esme ran her fingers through my hair, "Good. Edward, Alice saw that Demetri and Felix are still close. I'm making protection charms for you and your family." He chuckled at the gesture, "That won't be necessary, Esme. We can take care of ourselves." My eyes widened in fear, "Please, Edward, take them." He looked from my face to Esme, seeing that this wasn't going to be a battle he was going to win, "Very well. Have you spoken to my family about it?"

Esme nodded, "Yes and Carlisle would like you all to have the extra protection as well." Edward sighed in defeat, "If Carlisle feels that way, then fine." Esme left us in my room. "You have to remember, the spell only sealed Aro, Caius and Marcus to Volterra. Their Guard could still come after us. I don't want of them hurting you. Aro saw it, you're my weakness."

I moved to kneel on my bed, clutching at his shirt. If something happened to Edward, I wouldn't know what to do. He brushed his hands down my arms, "And you're mine. Don't worry, Bella. I love you and you will never lose me." "I love you too," and we embraced each other as we did the previous night.

That night I had an awful dream, a nightmare. Edward and I were walking on a familiar beach in the surf. Our fingers were interlocked, with our arms swinging between us. Behind me, I felt someone was following us. Looking back, there were two dark figures moving fluidly. I looked to Edward and he didn't notice them. Looking ahead of myself, Demetri was standing in front of me. His hand clutched my throat, squeezing the breath out of me.

My eyes shot up and a cold sweat dewed on my forehead. "Bella?" Edward was right next to me. My teeth were chattering as I was panting. "Bella!" Edward held my face and made me look at him, "What's wrong?" Tears welled in my eyes and a broken sob escaped my lips. He held me to his chest and my door flew open, "What did you see?" Rosalie demanded.

I couldn't speak, so Rosalie took my hand. Pressing our palms together and she saw my dream. Edward's eyes were fixed on Rosalie's face and he hugged me closer. "He's not coming near you." I looked up at him, then to my balcony doors, "No, he's not." I was going to end this, one way or another.


	21. Stand Together

Chapter 21 – Stand Together

I kept these thoughts to myself. I didn't want to be trapped in my own home for another day. Most of all, I didn't want Carlisle and his sons to be stuck here with us either. They risked their lives by leaving the circle, but Alice kept an eye on them. Carlisle continues his work at the hospital and the guys hunted together. On several occasions, Demetri and Felix confronted them. "Where are your humans? Still hiding in their home," Demetri taunted. Jasper kept everyone's tempers calm whenever they were confronted. Standing on the veranda, Alice glared at Demetri. Slowing widening her eye, Demetri began to levitate. He didn't realize what was happening to him, until he was thrown into a tree.

"Nice," I held my hand out and she slapped me five. Demetri ran back to the perimeter of the circle and was halted in his steps. He wanted to get closer but couldn't. Jasper looked at Alice and she merely shrugged, "Sorry." The Cullens confidently strode past the two Guards and went about their day.

Edward explained that Demetri and Felix hated a fair fight. They would wait for one of them to be alone for them to attack. I sat at my window, watching the swaying trees in the pouring rain. Unlike the Cullens, we couldn't leave our home. My family and I were marked. For our personal lives, Esme told her job and the school that there was an emergency and we had to leave town.

One afternoon, while in the greenhouse, I saw Felix staring at me from across the line. Seeing me looking at him, he winked at me. My eyes tightened and waved my hand. A sharp blow landed against his chest, throwing him into the dirt and mud. His clothes were horribly stained as he came back into sight. His furious roar filled the air and I smiled, "Just go home." I stepped outside myself, ready to attack him again. Edward sprinted past Felix, passed through the circle fluidly and took me up in his arms.

"What happened?" anxiety stained his voice. I shook my head, "Nothing, I was just reminding him of what I can do." Felix greatly underestimated what myself and my family can do. But they were confident in the fact that they are keeping us trapped in our own home. How much longer were we going to have to put up with this?

Edward pressed his lips into a hard line and stroked my hair, "Bella, you shouldn't do that. I won't be able to live with myself if something happens to you." He pulled me into his chest, tucking my head under his chin, "Please, Bella, for me, don't provoke them. They will be gone soon." I made a face, "I'm sorry I made you anxious." His breath saturated my hair as he pressed his lips to my forehead. I just wanted this to be over.

The Volturi left two weeks ago. Sighing deeply, I went into the kitchen to begin making dinner. Edward sat at the long table, watching silently as I started cooking. While standing over the stove, Alice walked into the kitchen. She immediately stopped in her tracks, covering her nose with her hand, "Eww, Bella, what are you making?" She sounded like she was going to gag. I glared at her, "You'll eat what I make and you'll like it."

Alice's hand was clamped hard over her mouth. She ran out of the kitchen and was sick in the bathroom. I groaned loudly, "Fine! Starve for all I care," I snapped, throwing the hot pan into the sink. My bad mood came out of nowhere. My hands slammed down on the countertop, while my eyes pinched shut. Hands held my waist, "Are you alright? I've never seen you like this."

I folded my arms and breathed deeply, "It's nothing. I'm all right." Edward pulled me down onto his lap, while I rubbed my head, trying to dull away a headache. Being stuck in the house was making me batty. I wanted to go drive or walk on First Beach. This was driving me insane. Esme and Carlisle came into the kitchen, "Is Alice alright?" I shrugged and Esme covered her nose, "Bella, how much garlic did you use?" She looked at the pan in the sink, "And you waste it! What's the matter with you?"

My eyes narrowed in anger, "You know what, Mom," I sneered the title, "make dinner yourself then." I motioned to get up, but Edward didn't release me, "Calm down, please." Esme closed her eyes and sighed, "I'm sorry. I guess we're all going a little crazy being stuck in the house for this long." I sighed myself, "You're right." I patted Edward's arm and he let me up, "Could you ask Alice when those two are leaving us alone?" Esme nodded and left. Carlisle brushed my forehead, "I'm so sorry this has happened to all of you." I smiled at him, "Don't be, Carlisle. This wasn't your fault. They'll be gone and then things will get back to normal." Well, as normal as our lives were before this whole thing.

Alice was laying in her room, as she wasn't feeling well. Guilt ran through me, as I went to check on her, with some rose wine. She laid in bed, as Jasper stood by her window. She looked up at me as I held the stem glass to her, "I'm sorry I snapped at you." She smiled as she took the glass, "No, don't. I'm just in a bad mood." I laid down next to her, "We're all in a bad mood. Except Rose. I haven't heard from her all day."

Jasper silently left the room, leaving the two of us to talk. The house was still and quiet; completely unnatural. Alice and I looked at each other, sharing the same thought. Rosalie was upstairs, alone and meditating. The two of us slinked up the winding stairs to the attic. Our attic was more reminiscent of a lighthouse. There was one long window, that went do to the floor. The window overlooked the front of the house. At the highest point of house, there was a wrap-around balcony. Esme never allowed us to go up there when we were children. To the left and right sides of the room, there were old furniture pieces that we didn't use anymore, including a floor length mirror. In the center of the open space, Rosalie sat cross-legged, listening to tranquility music. Her wrists rotated as she tried to calm herself. She wasn't in the best of moods, being locked up in the house. She even kept Emmett at arm's length from time to time.

Moving up to her quickly, Alice sharply removed the earpieces, "Rosalie!" She shrieked as her meditation was interrupted, "What?" She panted quickly, pressing her palm to the base of her neck. Alice and I laughed from her scared expression. Rosalie stood up, "I hate it when you do that! What do you want?" I drifted over to the steps that led up to the tower, "Nothing, what are you doing?" My elbow rested on my knee and my fist rested under my chin, looking at my sister. Rosalie's breathing began to slow, "I was meditating, you dingbat!"

Alice muffled a laugh, "Sorry, you were so quiet up here. We just wanted to make sure you were alive." Rosalie's eyes narrowed as she sat back on the beige carpet, "Don't get your hopes up. I'm not dead." My eyebrows pulled together, "Why on earth would you say something like that?" Rosalie scoffed, "Please, let's not talk about this." Alice and I shared a long glance. Alice looked at her, "Umm, Rose, we're all going a little cuckoo from being in the house, but you've gone over the deep end. You've practically cut everyone off and now, you're accusing me and Bella of being happy that you're gone. Rose, you need an attitude adjustment."

Rosalie scowled deeply at Alice, "And why don't you stop being a little miss know-it-all and leave me the hell alone!" Alice gawked at Rosalie and I stood slowly, "Hold on Rose! There is no reason to talk to Alice like that." The tension between us was climbing sharply. Such a rift between young witches was quite dangerous. The room became charged with our anger directed at Rosalie.

Alice's face suddenly went blank. The mood changed from angry to concern as she remained motionless. Rosalie and I stared until Alice exhaled. Not speaking, she spun and ran down the stairs. Rosalie and I followed after her, running along the second floor, down the backstairs and through the nursery. Outside, night had set in, blanketing everything in darkness. With the wave of her hand, Rosalie lit the lights that ran along the exterior of the house.

Bathed in the light, we saw Emmett, Jasper and Emmett were facing Demetri and Felix. "I don't care what Aro has said. You will not get near any of them. You may as well return to your master," Emmett bellowed. "Emmett?" Rosalie was already out on the grass. Catching up to her, Alice and I caught her wrists. Emmett didn't look back, "Rose, go inside!"

Rosalie hadn't move an inch and neither did we. Carlisle flew past us to join his sons and Esme stood with us. His pale hand rested on Emmett's huge shoulder, "Son, remember who you are." Emmett's anger slammed into me and it was staggering. The Cullens heard our argument and they had enough. This had to end so that we could get back to our lives.

"Aro wants them and we're here to see that he gets them," Demetri pointed a finger at us. Esme glowered, "Aro isn't getting my family." Felix snarled at her, "Listen, woman," he dashed in front of us and jabbed a finger at Esme. Thoroughly mad, I grabbed his wrist, "I wouldn't do that if I were you." My hand was outside of the cicle. Felix glared at me. In a blink of an eye, he gripped my wrist and pulled me ut of the circle. My body rolled across the grass, coughing. "Bella!" everyone called. Felix and Demetri were already surrounding me. Their crimson eyes were happy, which was a bad thing. They believed they were getting what they were kept here fo. Edward dashed over to the scene, taking a protective stance in front of me, "Leave her alone!"

Pressing my palm to the earth, my power surged through the grass, making it unstable. Form the ground, roots came to life, shooting out. They wrapped themselves around Demetri and Felix's legs. Near us, a tall tree bent over them, bathing them within the branches and leaves. Felix and Demetri were distracted from the attack, leaving Edward to carry me back to the other side of the circle. The tree straightened up, leaving the two Guard members to break off the roots that were binding their legs. Taking the advantage, Jasper dashed over and Demetri caught him by neck, breaking off into their own fight. Felix tried to follow us, but Emmett, tackling him to the ground, caught him.

Esme held my face, ensuring that I wasn't harmed. Edward and Carlisle went to aid their family, while we had to stand and watch. Their fight was almost lost to my eyes. They all moved so fast in the night, it was like trying to see a ghost. The tumult kicked up the dirt and grass, spraying clumps of it into the air. Felix materialized in the night, charging towards us, but he was stopped by Edward. Being caught around the waist, Edward was toss like a rag doll.

Rosalie sprinted over to me, pulling me out of the way of Edward's landing. A wave of air knocked myself and Rosalie to the ground. "Stay down," he ordered, as he ran back over the line. Edward tackled Felix again, but he was caught by his throat and slammed into the ground. My eyes widened, "No, no, leave him alone!" My screamed echoed through the trees.

Rosalie pulled my hand, but I fought against her hold. "Bella, come on!" She tugged me off the ground, away from the ground. Where I sat, a boulder sailed through the air and hit the exact same spot. Rosalie and I fell backwards, huffing as our bodies made an impact with the ground. My palm fell on Rosalie's stomach as we fell. A pang of energy surged through me, coming from within my sister's body. I looked back at her, with a perplexed expression, "Rose, you're pregnant." She looked at me, "No, I'm not." I took my hand away, showing my palm, "Yes, you are," I whispered.

A roar spread through the air and we looked. Felix was pinned by Emmett and Carlisle and Edward and Jasper had Demetri pinned against a tree. The Guards struggled, but were being held down. "Bring them here," Esme ordered. She stepped outside the circle. "No, Esme," Carlisle called back. "This will work. Bring them to me." Felix and Demetri fought in the Cullens' holds as they were towed toward Esme. None of us moved as she worked her power.

"Felix, Demetri," she called them in a sultry voice, "You will return to Volterra." Felix snarled. Alice went to stand by her, "Felix, please be nice to Esme. She just wants to help you," she smiled at him. Soon Felix and Demetri were under their trance. Rosalie and I remained motionless. I didn't want her to move. Esme continued her spell, "Now, you two will return to Volterra. Aro needs you there, do you understand?" Even from this distance, I can feel it; she was using her full power.

Esme's pupils were liquid silver, as though the full moon was set in them. "Yes, we will return to Volterra," Demetri repeated. Esme smiled, "And you will not come back here. You will not come near my family or the Cullens." Felix nodded, "We will stay away." Esme blinked, stepping back to the other side of the line, taking Alice with her. "Now go and never come near our home again."

Without a word, Felix and Demetri departed. I breathed a heavy sigh of relief. Rosalie held her stomach as she moved to stand up. I took her hand, "Let's go inside." Esme curved her arm around Alice's shoulders, "Carlisle, could you go with them and make sure they're gone, please?" He nodded at her, his expression somewhat in awe of Esme's accomplishment, "Of course."

Esme looked back at Rosalie and me, seeing me holding her waist. She walked over to us, "Don't worry, girls. We'll be safe in the house." We looked back at our home. The image of it changed from a prison, to a sanctuary.

Inside the house, Esme ushers the three of us into the living room. Rosalie sits down on the couch slowly, suddenly feeling heavy. "Not heavy, but full," she lamented. Esme came over to us, "Bella, why would you believe Rose is pregnant?" My hand was brushing my sister's forehead, "I felt it, Esme." Rosalie's teeth gritted as she watched our mother's expression. Her eldest daughter was pregnant. Alice's eyes widened, "That's not possible. She was with Emmett."

All of our eyes looked at each other. I placed my hand over my own stomach and gasped. There was a small body forming within my own. The small being had a strong heartbeat. Esme and Alice did the same, both of them gasping. Esme felt my stomach, then Alice's, "We're pregnant. All of us."

Alice trembled and sat with Esme. She closed her eyes, holding out her hands. Taking each other's hands, we made our circle. Alice's vision was of us and what we would need for this next step in our lives. Carlisle and his sons weren't going to be happy about this news, but they would come to accept it.

Alice saw the one item vital to our survival in this endeavor of bringing in new life. Remaining in our circle, my family and I shared our power, strength and energy. We drew on each other to be brave in this next step. We have each other, Esme reminded us. _I have to say, you're taking this well, Mom_, I said, _You're going to be a grandmother_. Alice and Rosalie smiled and so did Esme. _That maybe so, but I'm going to be a mother again._

The small infant within each of us were already strong. They had their fathers' strength. We stayed in our circle until the Cullens returned. "What's going on?" Jasper asked. They looked at us with worried eyes. Looking at our faces, Alice stood and smiled, "We need to talk." We spent in evening explaining to them about what was coming to our family.

This was the last lines of my spell, "For him, you will make a great change. Creating a powerful bond for all eternity." I was making a greater change than I thought. I was becoming a mother.


	22. Epilogue

Epilogue – 6 Months Later

"Thank you Aro, but my daughters and I will have to decline. Our husbands are waiting for us," Esme explained. Aro stood in front of his thrown, "Immortality becomes you and your family, Esme. Your daughters are beautiful." Esme smiled, "Thank you." She smirked at the Volturi and I looked around the chamber.

The feeling of eyes was on me. Felix was looking at me with a coy smile; as if he were impressed with me. Rosalie turned her head toward him, "Felix, you mustn't think like that about married women." Esme cut her eyes at him, her hand resting on her hip. "Esme, I would like to ask you about something?" Each of us turned back to look at Aro. His mind was in wondering as he appraised us.

Alice smiled, "About the treaty. Well, we spoke with the leaders of the tribe and convinced them that we would all live within the boundaries. Also, it was helpful with Esme's power." Esme was able to use her abilities to persuade the tribe elders that we weren't a danger. Along with Jasper's influence, they were a deadly combination. As humans, we were strong enough to manipulate vampires and werewolves, but as vampires; our power grew greatly.

My family and I watched Aro, Caius and Marcus, "We've live up to our end of the agreement, so you must live up to yours. You will not threaten our husbands for us." Aro nodded slightly, "Of course." Esme turned to face us, "Let's go home." Aro held out his hand for Esme, "It was lovely to see you all again." Seeing his deceit, I protected Esme's mind as she shook Aro's hand. He hoped to see her memories. Aro looked shocked, "I couldn't see your mind."

Esme's blood orange eyes fell on me, "It was Bella." I smiled, "I didn't think Esme would want you to see her honeymoon. A lady must keep her secrets. I hope you understand." Aro smiled affectionately at me, "I understand." He looked at all of us animatedly. His mind still salivated with the idea of us joining his ranks. "I hope to see you and your family again, Mrs. Cullen." Alice, Rosalie and I smiled, "Thank you, Aro."

Each of us turned away, heading towards the door. My eyes closed as I prepared to answer another question. "I am curious about one more thing." I looked back to Aro, "Yes?" He looked at Felix, "How were you able to convince Demetri and Felix to return?" I smiled, "Esme's power, again. She told them to return." Aro was astonished that she was able to do that. Alone, we couldn't enchant vampires, but with Alice's aid, Esme's spell worked.

Rosalie patted my shoulder, "They're waiting for us." Alice squeezed my hand, "And they're getting impatient." "I'm sorry, Aro, but our family is waiting for us," Esme stated. He bowed his head, "Alec, see the Cullens out." Alec held the door open for us as we walked out the chamber. Feeling it against my shield, Jane tried to use her power on me. I looked back at winked at her, "Nice try."

We followed Alec out of the chamber. The human receptionist worked on her computer as she was preparing to leave for the day. The elevator doors opened to the street level entrance. A Guard member waited patiently as he held up four cloaks. Outside, a black car waited. Alec gestured to the vehicle, "The car will take you to the airport. It was lovely to meet the legendary Platt family. My congratulations on your marriages to the Cullens." Rosalie smiled as she pulled up her hood, "Thank you, Alec. It is a shame the others aren't more like you. You know how to speak to a lady."

Alec bowed his head and departed down the hall. Once outside the walls of the city, our hands waved, strengthening the hold of the containment spell. The care stopped in Venice. "We can walk from her," Alice said to the driver. Alice was lingering behind as we walked ahead to the terminal, "Can we do a little shopping?" she pleaded. I stopped and took her hand, "Alice, you know how impatient they can get. We should hurry home. We'll have plenty of time to shop after we get back." Alice nodded and continued towards our flight. The sun was completely set as we waited for our flight to board.

While waiting, I called home. Three rings and someone answered. "Hello?" I smiled at the sound of the voice, "Edward, we're on our way back." "Good. She's going crazy from missing you." My smile grew, "Is she sleeping?" "Yes." I sighed, "Ok, see you in a few hours. I love you." Edward chuckled, "I love you too." Looking at the phone in my hand, I put it in my purse and waited for our flight. Esme nudged my shoulder, "We'll be home before you know it." I huffed a laugh, "This is one of those moments when I wish I could sleep. Time would go by faster." Esme took my hand in hers, "I know. I wish the same thing. Just close your eyes."

My head leaned on her shoulder as we waited. Speaking in Italian, our flight began to board. It was good that we fed before flying home. The movie was somewhat interesting, but I just wanted to get home. Rosalie and I played cards during the flight. The flight attendant offered us something to drink. My eyes fell on the pulsing vein in her neck, hearing the pumping of hot, fresh blood. Alice kicked me, "No, grazie."

I looked down, almost ashamed. Rosalie knocked my knee with hers, "We're still young. It happens to all of us." The plane began to descend into Atlanta, but it was noon. The sun was high, lighting every window. Each of us dawned leather jackets and sunglasses as we walked toward a private lounge. Shoving a roll of hundreds into the attendant's hand, Rosalie requested that we remain alone. Armchairs sat back to back from one another. Lights lined the walls, leaving the lounge in a dull setting. A television played a movie as we waited. Alice began tapping her foot in annoyance. "We can run faster than this damn plane is taking."

Esme paced, as she spoke on her phone. Rosalie kept her eyes closed and leaned against my shoulder; she wished for sleep too. Eventually, our flight to Seattle was on its way. Landing at Sea-Tac airport, Rosalie's BMW waited for us in the garage. None of us spoke on the drive back. There was nothing we wanted more than to get home. The trees of our small town reached out to greet us as we got closer. My heart felt like it should be racing with anticipation.

Pulling into the meadow of our new home, the lights were on in the house. Looking through the windows, there was no movement in the house. Parking in the garage, we walked up the steps of our home. The scent of our family was strong; they didn't leave long along.

Inside the house, toys were scattered all over the floor. Esme's eyes widened as she took in the disheveled mess the living room was. She stepped over toy trucks and dolls, "What happened in here?" Rosalie took up a piece of clothing, "When the cats are away, the mice will play." Alice gasped as she saw her music player underneath the dining table. She picked it up, "I'm surprised Jasper couldn't keep them under control." I straightened a crooked picture on the wall, "Yay, he's handled newborns, but this bunch isn't something he's handled before."

Moving around the room in a blur, everything was put back in its place. Empty bottles were cleaned and put away. The toys were back in their place and so were the books. "Em, please relax. She'll be home soon," Emmett was sounding anxious. No one moved as we heard their voices. There was the sound of sniffling and I recognized the voice. Esme flew to the front door, "Charlotte?"

Our little sister flew into Esme's arms, "Mommy!" The others came running in. "Momma," Renesmee flew into my arms. "Momma," Emma Rose and Emerson flew into Rosalie's arms, knocking her to the floor. "Mommy," Jackson ran into Alice's arms. Renesmee was sniffling as she nuzzled my neck, "I missed you." I kissed her hair, "I missed you too." The small body of my daughter dominated my arms. Nothing else in the world mattered but the little girl I was hugging.

Edward's arms were suddenly around us, "I missed you most." Renesmee scowled up at her father, "No, you didn't, Daddy." Edward chuckled and I giggled, "Don't fight over me." Our family had grown significantly with the addition of our children.

Charlotte was our new baby sister. She was blond with reddish streaks in her hair and Esme's green eyes, but she looked in Carlisle. Emma Rose and Emerson Robert were Rosalie and Emmett's twins. Both of them had Rosalie's blue eyes. Emma had Emmett's dark hair and Emerson had Rosalie's blond hair; both of them with the combined faces of their parents. Jackson had Alice's hazel eyes, with dirty blond hair and he looked like Jasper, with Alice's smile. Renesmee had Edward's bronze hair, looked exactly like Edward but had my chocolate brown eyes and curls.

Having these children was a trial on our family. Emmett, Jasper, Carlisle and Edward were very worried they were going to lose us. Finding out information on the progression of our children was the next feat and training us as newborn vampires. We found out the Jackson and Emerson was venous, while Renesmee, Emma and Charlotte were not. Finding this out, we explained to Emerson and Jackson that they couldn't bite anyone, especially not the girls.

As newborn vampires, my mother, sisters and I were talented, like Jasper and Edward. I had the power of shielding my own mind and others as well. Alice had the power of seeing the future. Her visions were much more defined, but they were determined by the decisions made. Esme was able of impeccable persuasion and Rosalie had the power of infatuation. She could make anyone infatuated with her.

Our children were talented as well. Renesmee could project her thoughts into your mind with just the touch of her hand. Charlotte had the power of control, as Esme had. Jackson could see the immediate future of anyone, by touching them. Emma Rose and Emerson had a combined talent. When they held hand, they could create vivid illusions outside the mind. Separately, they could create images inside the mind. It worked on everyone, but me.

Renesmee sat in my lap, as we spoke about our trip. "Of course, Aro asked us join his Guard," Esme said as she leaned against Carlisle. Renesmee moved to clutch her arms around my neck. "And Felix couldn't take his eyes off of Bella," Alice added jokingly. Renesmee tightened her hold, instantly concerned. "Don't worry. He's not taking me away," I comforted her. Her small hand patted my cheek, letting me see how she was when I was away.

The first day she was trying to be good, but on the second day, she spent the morning crying. Edward tried to calm her, but she was as stubborn as I was. All she wanted was me. That's when Jasper stepped in. He kept the children calm, but today they got the best of him. That explained the mess we came home to.

Emerson was sitting on the floor, next to Emmett's leg. One thing about my nephew that I loved was that Emerson had Emmett's playful nature. Punching his father, Emerson ran out of the living room and Emmett followed him, "You're going to get it." Emma and Rosalie rolled their eyes, "I'll get Daddy." Rosalie and Emma bounded out of the room.

Edward and I walked out of the house. Renesmee hung onto me as I ran off into the forest. I could feel her hunger; she hadn't hunt much while I was away. The lush green forest covered us in a hue of green. It was sunny and the forest was full of life. Renesmee leapt off my back and happily skipped ahead of us.

"Momma, Daddy doesn't know how to do my hair," she complained. Edward rolled his eyes, "I'm not your mother. Can't I have some credit for trying?" Renesmee shook out her bronze curls, "Never, Daddy." Edward held my waist as we walked, "She is far too much like you for my liking." Arching an eyebrow at him, I looked up, "Oh, really. I think the same thing about you. She's way too much like you." Renesmee stopped in her tracks and sniffed at the air, "It's mine."

She slinked off on her own, searching for her quarry. Edward and I remained motionless as we listened. Buck, twenty-seven yards away, due east. It was standing by a creek, lapping at the water. The animal huffed as Renesmee walked over to it. She was very good at luring animals into her trap. Edward watched the whole thing through our daughter's mind. I was able to use my power to see. Looking over the scene, I watched as she patted its snout. The buck leaned down and sniffed at her dress. Our scent was not on her clothes. She was able to push it away with her own power. My little witch.

"I'm sorry about this. I won't take much." The animal allowed her to climb on its back and sink her teeth into its neck. Since she was not venous, the animal didn't have to die. She remained on the back of the animal, taking her fill. The buck laid down on its side, letting Renesmee slid off. She patted its neck, "Just rest and you'll feel better. Thank you."

She walked away from the beast and found myself and Edward. We were perched on a boulder, smiling at her. She came over to us, her eyes wide, "How was that?" Edward reached down and took her up with one arm, "Perfectly. You took what you needed and no more. It still amazes me you speak to them and they listen." Renesmee leaned against me, while looking at her father, "They understand more than you think, Daddy."

My hand ran over her hair, "You're learning so quickly. I'm proud of you." Renesmee, Edward and I sat together in the silence of the afternoon. "Momma, don't ever go away again. Daddy and I missed you." I kissed her hair, "Trust me, I will never leave you two again." Edward hugged the both of us, "Renesmee, Momma will be with us forever." She smiled brightly and nestled her head into my chest. I looked up at Edward and his pressed his lips to mine.

We had eternity together, with our daughter and large family. I had parents, brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, a daughter and a husband who is my soul mate. My spell had come true. He came on wings of silver. He was strong and his strength was unparallel. Edward's strength restrained him from harming me. He was different from his kind, by drinking the blood of animals. And he wasn't alone; he had a whole family. His eyes were of gold and black. For him, I did make a great change. I changed from a human, to a mother, wife and vampire. And together, with our daughter we created a powerful bond of love, that would last for an eternity.


	23. Hello My Fans

Hello my fans,

I am happy to announce that the sequel to the 'Witches of Forks' is ready. The story includes the telling of Esme and her daughters as not only witches, but as vampires. There is a darkness looming over the Cullens once again and they must be a strong family to overcome their enemies.

I hope you enjoy the story and others to come.


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